-CJN Justice Mahmud Mohammed addressing new wigs at the call to Bar ceremony The Council of Legal Education announced that 815 students failed the Bar part {2} examinations. It stated that only four students made first class grade amongst whom is one University of Abuja graduate, Fatima Sani, who bagged a record of nine awards, while 109 obtained 2nd class upper grade; 418 were classified in the 2nd class lower division and 1,422 attained the pass grade. In total, 3,600 fresh lawyers were wigged. Alas! The burning of the midnight candle has finally paid off, brace yourselves. The journey to the Promised Land has just begun, expect murky waters along the way but don’t be discouraged, better days lie ahead with hard work, dedication, commitment and above all, patience. Indeed, “many are called but few are chosen”. To the successful new robes, welcome on board for you are now fit and proper to be called Barristers and Solicitors of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, a title well deserved. From this point on, family members, friends and neighbours {potential clients} would begin to call you ‘my Barrister’ anytime you step out into the society; does that mean that they would all be clients at the end of the day? No one can tell, the responsibility however is on your shoulders to prove that you don’t just carry the title but can perform on the job. What then is required of a young wig to prove his worth to the society? First and most importantly, you must uphold the ethics of the profession anywhere you find yourselves; in your speech, dress code and manner in which you conduct yourselves. It is advisable that you don’t dump the Rules of Professional Conduct for legal practitioners at the bottom of the bag because we have scaled through the Bar finals. A new wig must understand that his selling point is the professionalism attached in his relationship with the society, we do not carry the sign ‘barrister’ on our foreheads, yet people must be able to identify us as gentlemen properly so called. New wigs should not be over expectant of the legal profession when it comes to financial benefits; believe me when I say, expectations made in Law School in anticipation of becoming a lawyer like “I can’t wait to buy my own car {jeep}”, “I can’t wait to build my house {mansion}” should be put aside temporally for the sake of grasping the knowledge of practice and its antecedents – it is a wonderful thing to have these dreams and aspirations, it is however bad when it becomes the sole focus of your being a legal practitioner. Practice is a different ball game than the theories and scenarios taught in school, thus, financial benefits must be sacrificed for learning the profession irrespective of the area of law you find yourselves. ‘My Barrister’ please don’t be in a hurry to make money, such overzealousness for cash may lead one to fall into temptations that are death traps to the future of your practice, no matter how daunting the task may be, don’t resort to sharp practice in finding solutions to client’s legal problems – let honesty and integrity be at the forefront in any thing you do. Be known in your immediate environment to be a man of your words, someone that can be trusted, create that reputation for thyself and the sky would be a starting point. When the chips are down and it seems like the pressures of the profession are on your shoulders, here are five life lessons from Chelsea and Jose Mourihno’s disastrous season so far by Muyiwa Babarinde; Be willing to embrace responsibility; don’t fight your family/inner caucus in public; be calm in the face of stress (panic escalates events); modify tactics for different situations and don’t lose hope. CONGRATULATIONS on a successful entry into the profession, wish you all the very best in your diverse endeavours. Do send your comment{s}, observation{s} and recommendation{s} to danielbulusson@gmail.com or like us on www.facebook.com/younglawyerscolumn]]>