‘Self-Awareness, Good Habits and Grit, make a TopNotch Lawyer’
My name is Oyeyemi Aderibigbe, a Senior Associate at Templars. I am a trusted adviser on matters relating to Corporate and Commercial law, Mergers & Acquisitions, and Compliance. I am also the Second Vice-Chairman of the Young Lawyers Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Business Law (NBA-SBL), as well as the Young Lawyers’ Liaison Officer of the African Regional Forum of the International Bar Association (IBA). Outside law, I wear many hats, which essentially revolve around improving social conditions and human capacity development through my public interest platform, the Baton Initiative, and other fora which I am privileged to be part of. I am happily married.
Have you had any challenges in your career as a Lawyer, and if so, what were the main challenges?
At Templars, we hold our clients in high esteem, value the work we do, and cherish the legacy of the firm. As such, as an individual, you must pitch and deliver your best game at all times, and to every audience. This requires a lot of discipline, commercial awareness, consistency, ingenuity and tact. The challenges I have faced, have revolved around building these skills in adequate measure, to meet the needs of the market as they evolve. In my opinion, this is a continuous process, and with each level of success, one would need to build up on these skills and leverage. Innovation and growth require constant levelling up.
What was your worst day as a Lawyer?
My worst day, is not just one day. It would be anytime that I fail to meet my targets and the expectations that are required of me, in the course of work. I do not like, if I trigger the disappointment of anyone who engages me.
What was your most memorable experience as a Lawyer?
Interestingly, I have had quite a few “most memorable” experiences, but one of great significance would be the experience I had in July this year, managing the process of organising the first training for young Lawyers organised by the IBA in Nigeria, in collaboration with the NBA-SBL. It was a phenomenal experience. What was more instructive for me, was the gratitude and exhilaration that I witnessed on the faces of the young Lawyers, who benefited from the wealth of experience of a faculty of about 24 erudite Lawyers who facilitated the training. I have been privileged to stand on the shoulders of many great Lawyers, and being able to serve on platforms creating opportunities for younger Lawyers and becoming a channel for the upliftment of others, has been very rewarding.
Who has been most influential in your life?
Now this is a tough one, as I said, too many people have contributed to my professional growth. My partners and colleagues at Templars, professional collaborations across board, my family, the list is endless. Outlining one person as the most influential would be inequitable, as each measure of input has taken me further along in my journey, and I am grateful for every bit.
Why did you become a Lawyer?
My law journey started at the dinner table at home, and was fostered by my father. He studied my composite talents, and advised that law was my best bet. I say now that he was right, and thank him and my mother for being amazing umpires of my career choice, and my professional life. I think at this point, I must emphasise the need for guides and mentors. It is so important. If one is blessed to have mentors, it is critical to embrace such relationships with all seriousness; in the alternative, actively seeking out people who have gone ahead of you and walking their trail, helps. Where appropriate, fostering relationships with them, creates significant leverage. More importantly, I found my voice in law, and I continue in practice because I love how law makes me think. It has helped me develop a strategic thinking ability, and I am so glad I have walked this path.
What would be your advice to anyone wanting a career in Law?
My advice to anyone considering a career in law, would be pronged on three ideals; selfawareness, good habits and grit, to become a top-notch Lawyer. Practice requires more than mere ability; you need to know and accept yourself, and work towards the best version which may well exclude the use of your legal education. Habits, I would say, are the most important of the three; they can make, break or save your career. What you consistently do, is bigger than any learning you may have. I have learnt that good habits of scheduled reading, time management and the like, if consistently done, create a track record of success that three LLMs cannot give. Your habits usually get into the room before you do, and they are the basis on which your reputation is formed. It is important to tweak them consistently, and ensure that you lose the bad and own the good habits, as you progress.
Lastly, grit - you need to be in it, for the long haul. There are times that you get tired, but you continue, because the work needs to be done. Your staying power, determines how far along you go. Grit also enables innovation, so keep at it and keep getting better.
I must add that, a lot of us seem to be chasing money, and a false sense of independence. Career choices made just for monetary value, may not make you happy in the long run. In my opinion, good tutelage (and it does not have to be long) which comes with reasonable and fair compensation, guarantees success.
If you had not become a Lawyer, what career would you have chosen?
If I was not a Lawyer, I would have become a Musician. My “career in music” has not been truncated though, I still sing and do a lot of music, but not professionally. Where do you see yourself in ten years? In ten years, I expect that I will still be a Lawyer, that of course, cannot change. I also hope that, in addition to rising in rank professionally, I will also have built my public interest engagements to include advocacy for Lawyers, especially, young Lawyers, legislative engineering, through active lobbying and politics. I also hope that in ten years, many younger people, not just Lawyers, will see me and say, “I want to be like her”.