‘Money should never be a Lawyer’s First Consideration’
Please, give a brief introduction of yourself
My name is Vincent Ejike Anigbo. I come from Eke town, in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State. I attended my primary and secondary schools at various times in Abia State, Enugu State and Edo State. I read law at the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, and attended the Nigerian Law School, after which I was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1989. I spent about the first 14 years of my legal practice, in the chambers of Dr. J N Nwodo & Co and had a brief stint at the corporate world, before I returned to private practice. I have a law practice. I am married to Nneka Anigbo, and we are blessed with two children.
Have you had any challenge in your career as a Lawyer, and if so, what were the challenges?
Of course, I have had challenges, just like any other Lawyer. The first challenge was with my early period in legal practice, where remunerations were below your expectation. While a lot of our colleagues, especially the female colleagues, were jumping into the Banks and corporate world where salaries were seemingly better, we who opted to remain in private practice, were wondering if we made the right choice. Don’t forget that, that was the period of the emergence of the “new generation” banks when “mouth watering” salaries were paid by the banks. Little did I know that, the reward for legal practice comes over time, and that it was truly worth waiting for.
So, the first challenge I faced was the question of adequate remuneration.
The second challenge, arose from the nature of practice of the law firm of Dr. J N Nwodo & Co where I spent the whole of my formative life as a Lawyer. Perhaps, out of rigid adherence to the code of professional conduct of the legal profession, our chambers was very reactive, rather than proactive about billing clients. Our firm hardly billed clients, when receiving the briefs. We always felt that the most important thing was to get the job done, to the satisfaction of the client. Bills would come later and indeed bills were usually prepared and paid much later, after the jobs were done. So, I grew up with this mentality of placing little or no emphasis on preparing my professional bills, before the jobs were done or almost done. I paid dearly for this, when I started my practice. I would get a brief and would start work immediately without discussing fee, and even where I discussed fee, I would not conclude with the client, before commencing the job. It turned out that, in most cases, when I finally forwarded my bills, the clients refused to pay, and would only offer to pay paltry amounts. This got me so frustrated. It took a very long while before I adjusted, and began to present my bills before I commenced work on any brief. Of course, there still are exceptions to the rule.
What was your worst day as a Lawyer?
It is difficult to identify, my worst day as a Lawyer. I think an event that could count as my worst day as a Lawyer, was when, as a very young Lawyer, I lost a Landlord/ Tenant case in what I believed was an unfair judgement. I represented the tenant, a poor trader who rented a small shop from the landlord. The landlord made all the tenants pay, even his own monthly electricity bills. On a certain day during a landlord/tenant meeting, this tenant unwittingly complained that the landlord’s bill was getting too high, having quadrupled over a short period. For daring to raise this issue, the landlord took him to court to recover his shop, without even giving him any notice. At the hearing, the landlord merely said he served the tenant the mandatory statutory notices required, before he commenced the suit. The landlord did not produce either a witness or any document to support his claim. On his part, the tenant denied that he was served any such notices at all, and added that, the time of the alleged service, was when he usually went to the market to buy items for his shop. I submitted that, in the circumstances, the burden of proving that the landlord served him the notices rested with the landlord, and that the landlord had failed to discharge that burden. Well, I was shocked when the Magistrate ruled that the landlord had discharged that burden of proof, and entered judgement for the landlord. I was emotionally downcast, because the tenant felt I was his only hope, but I failed him.
What was your most memorable experience as a Lawyer?
It’s interesting how, although I have handled remarkable briefs, it is still the little cases that I handled at the early part of my practice, which have made lasting impact on me; and they usually involved the underdogs. One experience that I would term remarkable, happened when I was barely six months old as a Lawyer. A lady, who was the Personal Assistant to the European MD of a multinational company client of ours, was accused of forging the MD’s signatures on several cheques, and cashing the cheques for her use. The lady’s duties included cashing company cheques made out in her name by the MD, almost on daily basis, and handing over the money to the MD. The bank staff were already accustomed to paying her cash, upon her presentation of these cheques. She was arrested and detained at the Lion Building Police Station for two weeks, when I was instructed to handle the matter. When I met the Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) at the Lion Building, he said this was a hopeless case, and that I should advice the lady to confess. He added that, the cheques were already verified as forged, and that the lady would be charged to court the next day. Somehow, I believed the lady’s account of what happened, which was that the cheques were genuine cheques signed by the MD, and that she cashed the cheques and handed the monies to him, as usual. I asked the CSP why he needed a confessional statement from the woman, if he had verified that the cheques were forged. I requested for a forensic signature analysis, to be carried out on the cheques. My request was delayed for about a week, but upon my insistence, the cheques were taken for analysis. When the result came out, the lady was completely exonerated. It was discovered that, the cheques were genuine cheques signed by the MD. It turned out that, the MD appropriated all these monies and during audit enquiry, he falsely accused this lady of forging the cheques. The MD was eventually dismissed, and deported to his country in Europe. What I found baffling, was that after the CSP found that the lady was innocent, he demanded for “settlement” from me, to abandon the criminal prosecution of the lady.
Who has been most influential in your life?
My late father, Mr. Ferdinand Maduche Anigbo. He was a loyal husband, a committed father and our moral compass. He thought us honesty, forthrightness, hard work and the fear of God. He was a Police officer. I saw in him a Police Officer, who refused to engage in any corrupt practices when it was the norm, although he paid dearly for it.
Why did you become a Lawyer?
I discovered that I had the flair to be a Lawyer. I was a voracious reader, as early as my primary school days. At the risk of sounding immodest, I believe I had a sharp intellect and a sound analytical mind. I am also a good communicator.
What would be your advice to anyone wanting a career in law?
Be honest to yourself. Ask yourself, if you have the flair for it. Money should never be, your first consideration. Then, determine what type of legal practice, you want to engage in. The profession is now very much specialised; so determine what area of specialisation will satisfy your passion, and suit your aspiration When you have made up your mind, pursue your dream. Work very hard, and be focused; but by all means, have fun while you ride the rollercoaster.
If you had not become a Lawyer, what other career would you have chosen?
I would probably have been in the Ivory tower. I like sounding professorial. I admire intellectualism a lot.
Where do you see yourself in ten years?
I plan to remain in legal practice in ten years time and beyond; no retirement, no surrender at all. I love this job. I do, and will always do, ancillary activities along the line.