To become a lawyer, you must go for NYSC. You must have been called to the Nigerian Bar. The above are the basic qualifications to practice law in Nigeria. However, to qualify for admission into any Nigerian University to study law, you must have a minimum of five credits to include English Language, Literature in English, and Mathematics.
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Your first step to becoming a successful lawyer is graduating with a good law degree from a reputable university. This will help make the journey to success faster and less stressful. A good law degree in this sense would mean either a first-class or a second-class upper. A second-class upper is a minimum requirement for most law firm vacancies. A good degree will grant you the opportunity to work in an established and reputable law firm.
Getting a job in a reputable firm as a young lawyer will grant you access to the essential factors you need to be successful in your law career. Such factors include skill acquisition and development, mentorship, and networking. A young lawyer should always thrive for self-development in any way possible. One of the best ways to achieve this is by setting yourself up in an enabling environment. Having secured employment in a reputable firm, a young lawyer should try to garner as much knowledge as possible as this will give him or her an edge in law practice. Many young lawyers want to set off on their own but one must never undermine the importance of experience as it is golden in the legal profession. Most clients would prefer that their cases are handled by lawyers who have experience working in law firms, rather than newbies. This assures clients of competence.
Another important factor to success for a young lawyer is networking . Young lawyers should not downplay the value of a good network with other learned colleagues and firms. Meaningful interpersonal relationships with other lawyers can come in handy in difficult times when one needs advice, mentorship, or guidance.
Lawyers are commonly called practicing lawyers for a reason, they must keep learning . There is no stage at which a lawyer is certified to have reached the apex of learning and needs no more learning. This is because the nature of the law is dynamic and so is the profession. A young lawyer who wants to be successful in the profession must be willing to learn throughout his life. He must read on recent legal trends so he can handle cases well when brought to him. The knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the legal profession are not developed overnight, they all require long-term learning. Some of the skills that a lawyer needs to learn are Advocacy, Legal Drafting, Critical thinking, Communication skills, Research skills, etc.
All over the world, the legal profession is widely regarded as one of the noblest professions in the history of mankind. Therefore, being a lawyer anywhere is prestigious. What is much more prestigious however is being a successful young lawyer. In Nigeria, succeeding in the legal profession as a young lawyer may mean handling ...
Finally, young lawyers must be very patient, tactful and must persevere in their quest for success. Sometimes they may have to take pro-bono cases and offer free legal advices in the first few years of private practice. Young lawyers must be able to endure the rigours of the legal profession. They must not lose their passion by getting disappointed and discouraged. Every budding lawyer should always remember that when passion, patience and skill work together, a masterpiece is inevitable; success is inevitable!
A Court of Appeal Judge, Justice Chinwe Iyizoba once stressed that hard work and self-development are the keys to succeeding as a young lawyer. She retorted that: βThe fact is that in all professions, if you are good, you will be noticed and you will go places. However, you canβt get there without passing through pupilage and building yourself up by working hard to excel.β
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First off, we have to note that the starting point of every achievement is desire . There has to be a desire β a burning passion β to be a legal practitioner. Such desire must be evident in the way one responds to happenings around one.