Once you are called to the bar in my country Nigeria, there is an assumption by everyone that you know all the law immediately and can solve all legal problems that exist in the world. Lol… What a very funny assumption.
My first legal job was ‘affidavit creation’. This experience happened about one month plus after my call to bar. I had gotten drowned by the echoes of ‘THE LAW’ everywhere I turned amongst family and acquaintances that it didn’t occur to me that I had just been pushed into a deep ocean where everyone was learning to swim and fighting to get to the shores at the same time.
I got a call from my father one early morning where I was busy browsing the net for a suitable foreign college to quickly run a master’s program and bag my LLM as that was the in-thing in my time then. Amalachukwu, quickly hurry down to my office, your attention is needed immediately. I abandoned all I was doing and raced to his office.
I walked in and saw his friend sitting next to him extremely devastated. My Dad told me his friend needed a lawyer’s assistance to create an affidavit and it was urgent because a foreign transfer he just received is on hold as the name on his International Passport and Driver’s License is slightly different from what is in Bank records. I asked myself in my head, ‘did my father just throw me my first legal job without asking me if I can do it or not’?
Then the second voice said to me, no be you dey answer THE LAW since? Ha! Confidence, confidence; where are you? I recall my Corporate Law Lecturer Mr. Ogbuanya constantly telling us in group 7 then; ‘your confidence as a lawyer is everything you need’. So, I buckled up. Can I grab a photocopy of that ID Sir, I said? Of course, he replied. I peeped at my father beaming with joy and pride; while I was peeing my panties. Ha! This man will not kill me.
I tried to remember some details off the book I had memorized from my class notes before bar exams and put them across to my now Client for details I needed to create the Affidavit and raced home. I ran straight for my lecture notes at home and started reading up and creating from them after all na me write exam nah. Immediately I was done, I zoomed off to court.
Walking into the Court premises to execute my first legal job wasn’t a walk in the park. I was literally shaking while walking. I walked straight to the Oath office and inquired about the Oath Officer. A woman answered me. I need to depose to an Affidavit I said to her. Your receipt? She said. I froze and was like ‘what receipt again’? She looked at me and said; has it been accessed? I smartly said no and she took it for assessment. Thank God I said in my mind.
Counsel, no deponent? Haa! What again? For some reason I didn’t know what deponent was anymore. Anxiety and fear is a killer. I am the lawyer creating this Affidavit ma, I said. Of course I know she said. This space is empty, she pointed at the Deponent section and I brought out my pen to sign. She blocked off the space and said sarcastically, ‘when were you called’? Oh dear Lord! One month plus now ma. No wonder, she said. I died and woke up. Counsel, welcome to the bar, go get your client to sign that. All I saw before me was my poor father’s face who was full of pride, while I had just collected my first legal embarrassment. Oh dear.
Thank you ma I said and tried to leave but alas I was called back again. I was like, when will this embarrassment end Oh Lord? She said; you forgot to add ‘HOLDEN AT ONITSHA’ at your header. Small small you hear? You will learn. Chai. I managed to carry my poor legs out of that place and headed for a quiet place to console myself and cry a little. After crying, I grabbed me a cold bottle of Fanta and gala. After chewing, I called my Court Attachment Principal who laughed his butt off first and told me that almost lawyer has that story and guided me properly, after which my confidence was back as I collected my pay for my first legal job.
I learnt my first ever lessons in my legal Career with that experience which were:
- Never lose your Confidence
- You need your seniors
- Everyone has a first time, so don’t cry’
- Ask plenty questions
- Never stop studying
- HUMILITY and willingness to learn will skyrocket you to success in the legal world.