PANELISTS:
Toheeb Amuda, Esq.
Chukwuemezie Charles Emejuo, Esq.
Nse Ekpewoh, Esq.
Emmanuel Agherario, Esq.
Nwakoby Chidinma, Esq.
INTRODUCTION
The LIFIN Academic Conference is an annual conference that seeks to critically examine and re-evaluate the standard, utility and sustainability of legal education in Nigeria as presently constituted in light of global realities and changing legal needs of the 21st century legal ecosystem and to make recomendations geared towards recalibrating it to equip legal scholars in Nigeria with the right skill sets suitable for the future of legal practice.
This year’sedition is the 7th edition of the Lifin Academic Conference as the forum is geared towards upholding the tradition of promoting the development of legal education in Nigeria. We had in the session reputable legal scholars with proven track record of excellence in their respective career path who shared with us their invaluable wealth of knowledge and raised numerous talking points at the session.
They made proposals for reforms which is intended to contribute to the efforts aimed at rethinking and reinventing legal education in Nigeria to remain competitive in the evolving global legal landscape.
Nse Ekpewoh Esq in highlighting the challenges with legal education in Nigeria identified that lack of inclusiveness and interdisciplinary approach to the teaching and learning of the law in Nigeria contributes to the limited viewpoint with which law students and lawyers view the legal profession.
She recommended that the teaching formular in Nigeria should go beyond only law but should extend to other fields of human endeavours where the law is applicable so as to become relevant and compete with lawyers from other climes who have broad knowledge of the workings of other disciplines and can handle cases that arise in those fields.
She emphasised that practical other than just theoretical learning should be the way forward as concentrating on the later will only produce ill equipped lawyers who can not operate effectively in the 21st century legal ecosystem.
She was of the view that the failure to train law scholars on the commercial of business aspect of the law has led to the proliferation of numerous lawyers who have been unable to break even and continues to struggle financially. She opined that legal education should be tailored towards preparing lawyers for financial success and career fulfillment especially with the harsh economic realities of recent times.
Emmanuel Agherario Esq, in his observation on the need to change the status quo in legal education opined that law is a product of social realities and should change with changing times. He noted that legal profession is always evolving and so also should legal education as the global market place and legal needs are changing.
Most of these needs have gone far ahead of the present curriculum and we have been left behind in somes aspects. He noted that globalization has affected legal practice and that people now desire commercial and business solutions in the fast paced ecosystem where commercial disputes has become rife and time is of crucial essence.
Emmanuel observed that ethics and professionalism in the digital age is not emphasised enough in out legal education system and that this has led to increased misconduct and breach of trust vested on legal practitioner as in the past. He opined that lawyers should stand at the forefront of bringing sanity back to our society with increasing social decadence especially in the use of technology.
He emphasised that lawyers should develop expertise on digital technology, data privacy, data science, and data security as the world edges towards the 5th industrial revolution driven by data and technology. He however advised that lawyers should navigate the digital age with integrity and professionalism.
He stated that the exam-centric method of learning where students only cram to pass exams should be discouraged but rather, the system should emphasize on quality learning, critical and independent thinking by law scholars who can come up with strategies to resolve recurring social and legal issues in Nigeria.
Chukwuemezie Charles Emejuo Esq on the need to revolutionize legal education in Nigeria to compete with their counterparts globally cautioned that the proposals for reforms should put into perspective social, legal and economic landscape of Nigeria. He also noted that the Nigerian legal system deserve lesser criticisms are there are some positives associated with it even though a lot more needs to be done.
He noted that experiential learning while in the University should be prioritized as is done in other jurisdictions. He made very elaborate reference on the administration and operation of law clinics in the United States of America. He noted that the program is structured in a way that students can handle real life cases under the guide and supervision of experienced lawyers who provide mentorship and training to the students.
He stated that the issue of ethical conduct cannot be overemphasised. He revealed that law firms in the United States of America. take out insurance policies to cover the damages that may follow in the event they breach ethical codes and professional rules. This shows how important it is to uphold ethics in their system as a single breach can have enormous impact capable of ending a person’s career.
He maintained that substantive and procedural laws be taught side by side unlike is the case in Nigeria where law students only learn procedural law at the Nigerian Law School. He stated that none should be taught in isolation of the other as that is the most efficient way to breach the gap between theoretical and practical aspects of law.
Toheeb Amuda Esq in highlighting the need for legal education system in Nigeria to prioritize in-demand legal skills noted that while it has produced eminent practitioners who are making the country proud globally, that there is in dire need for reforms now more than ever before.
He suggested that the University system in Nigeria should be remodelled as it no longer reflect global realities. He avocated that redundant theories, concepts and subjects with no practical use in the 21st century should be jettisoned. He proposed that the University curriculum should be reviewed and the traditional teaching approach and method reformed.
He stated lecturers in the system should be engaged in routine further learning and retraining exercise in order to upgrade their information capacity and to acquire in demand knowledge and skills which they can pass unto their students.
He stated that the externship which is done by students as part of the Nigerian Law School Programme be supervised by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and that law firms should be compelled to forward to the Nigerian Law School, a report on what the extern was able to learn or accomplish within the period as this will help to encourage students to take the externship seriously and scale up experiential learning.
He emphasised the need for lawyers to remain ethical as thal very crucial for 21st century legal practice.
Nwakoby Chidinma Esq, in addressing the difficulties faced in attempts to reform legal education in Nigeria decried the fact instead of proposing a reformation that will address the information deficit in our legal system, that stakeholders in the usual review by the National Association of Law Teachers (NALT) concentrate more on the course code to assign a particular course which oftentimes lead to needless argument. Most times, the crucial topic of reviewing and overhauling the curriculum is rarely discussed
She stated that it was high time that the legal profession purged from its curriculum, courses with no direct bearing on the practice of the law and courses that merely repeat topics already taken by students at secondary school level including Literature in English, Language courses and other non essential courses.
She noted that the frequent change in the administration of the Nigerian Universities Commission affect the progress recorded in the process of reform as successive administration tend to abandon the progress recorded by the previous administration to ahart a new path that will soon be aborted and this has led to a situation where education reform in Nigeria is one step forward and ten steps backward.
She stated that the practice of recycling same lecture notes used for decades without attempts to update them to reflect present state of affairs hinder the development of law in Nigeria. She further decried the falling standard of legal excellence in the legal profession and particularly in the bench where Judges no longer give seasoned judgement that shows mastery of law and facts. It has also been suggested in some quarters that some Judges now delegate the function of writing judgements to third parties.
She reiterated that internship and externship should be made a crucial part of legal education as there can be no total learning process without practicalization which foster experiential learning, quicker assimilation and adaptability.
Emmanuel Agherario Esq, in addressing the issue of corruption that has invaded the legal education system in Nigeria which by extension has now permeated our justice system, decried the unpredictability of the law before the courts of law in Nigeria. He pointed out that too many recent judgements of the courts are now contradictory and that many of decisions no longer arise from established and well known principles of law and judicial precedents but are obviously based on extraneous fators and primodial interests which now operate to pervert the cause of justice.
He pointed out that the process of ascending to the bench in Nigeria has been tainted and that when people rise to positions of power or influence through compromise, it affects the entire system and places a question mark on the credibility of such an institution.
He strongly proposed that the Nigerian Judiciary should drastically reduce and limit the incidences of external influence in the discharge of its constitutional duties and should endeavour to uphold the rule of law without fear or favour.
Chukwuemezie Charles Emejuo Esq in highlighting the unique teaching style in the United States of America as against Nigeria observed that they concentrate more on conversational teaching technique where students are encouraged to think instead of taking line, hook and sinker all that is taught by a lecturer without questioning the concept, evaluating them critically and forming independent opinion on them.
He stated that in the US, students are participatory in class and are allowed to form and express their own opinion without any form of intimidation by the lecturers unlike what is obtainable in Nigeria. He stated this form of teaching breeds bold and creative students who can share unique ideas on any subject matter. He stated that class participation on itself was graded and counts in the overall assessment.
He re-emphasized the need for internship. In the US, interns are referred to as Summer Associates and are given the opportunity to work with top tier law firms to gain exposure of law in practice. He advocated that the Law Clinics in Nigeria should be revived and structured in a manner that positions students to gain practical experience while they study.
He encouraged participants to pursue academic excellence and obtain good grades as it will go a long way to influence their career and professional growth.
Nse Ekpewoh Esq, in highlighting why most Nigerians perform excellently outside the country stated that lectures are programmed to be interactive in nature, participatory, and thought provoking. she stated that some exams are open book exams and suggested that Nigeria should adopt same to eliminate the need to cram cases and sections just for the purpose of exams where in actual fact and in practice, no one is required to know it all but should know where to find it as posited by Lord Denning.
She stated that Nigeria needs thinkers who can analyse issues and proffer solutions to the litany of problems facing her as the world thrives on ideas of thinkers who can solve real life situations and our academic system should produces scholars in that order.
In addressing the increase in brain drain in Nigeria, she stated that people rarely want to return home after acquiring knowledge in other climes because of lack of conducive and enabling environment that supports innovation.
She opined that Nigeria should emulate the Republic of China and how they sent a good number of their people to the western world to acquire standard knowledge and afterwards return to their country to implement those knowledge. china created an enabling environment that supported innovation and ideas which in turn has reflected positively on the economy and global standing,
The rising insecurity in Nigeria is also a source of worry and scares diasporas from maming the journey back home. she was of the view that diasporeans who cannot return home should collaborate with different organizations and institutions within the country by contributing their invaluable ideas which when implemented will better the lot of the country.
She stated that all hands must be on deck to reform legal education in Nigeria and that everyone is a stakeholder in the project to make it work for our common good.
Toheeb Amuda Esq on why lawyers should expand their horizon and knowledge encouraged participants to engage in trainings, virtual sessions, professional courses and certifications in order to prepare themselves for the future of work so as to offer value to their clients and that it is not an excuse that you did not learn much from the university as the internet has liberalized access to information and there is no limit to what you can learn or become.
He ecouraged participants to seek out for lucrative areas of law practice that are in demand at the legal ecosystem and maximize their efforts in order to grow financially and intellectually.
He stated that the recycling of questions for exam year in year out has limited the development of legal education in Nigeria, hindered quest for thorough research and now reward cramming over quality legal knowledge.
He advised that personal development and learning should be prioritized and that networking is very essential for personal and career growth. He stated that luck plays a role in people’s success and that your network determines your net worth. He concluded that with commitment and dedication, everyone is capable of achieving their dreams.
Chukwuemezie Charles Emejuo Esq in encouraging the participants advised that no one should get discouraged if their plans do not work at first and that failure no matter how fatal is not final. He stated that good grades are important for the early stage of one’s career and that in the long run, your wealth of experience will be the determining factor.
He encouraged participants who are students to engage in extra curricular activities as this will help them build requisite expertise necessary for practice.
Emmanuel Agherario Esq, further encouraged participants to take their studies seriously, build relationships, collaborate with family and friends as they constitute the initial set of clients for all young lawyers.
Nwakoby Chidinma Esq in her closing remark stated that it is never too early to start working towards the type of career that you aspire to achieve and that all participants should identify what they truly want. She stated that everyone is working at different pace and one must find what works for them. She emphasized on the need for mentorship, belonging to institutions and organizations, acquiring different skills and networking.