She walked in with so much grace and elegance and addressed the Judge with eloquence and decorum and in that moment, I knew I wanted to be like her one day. Fast forward to three years later, I was given the opportunity to interview Mrs. Miannaya Essien SAN, a true role model. Mrs. Miannaya Essien SAN is an accomplished lawyer, chartered arbitrator, who specializes in complex commercial matters, arbitration, oil and gas and litigation, amongst others. She obtained the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2007, becoming the 7th woman in Nigeria to attain the rank. She is a member of various professional bodies and the current Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Legal Practice. She is a member of the adjunct faculty of the Nigerian Law School Abuja and a faculty member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK). Who’s Who Legal: Nigeria has consistently recognized her as one of Nigeria’s leading lawyers and arbitrators. The Chairperson NBA-Section on Legal Practice, Mrs. Miannaya Essien SAN in an exclusive interview held by Ibukunoluwa Owa, proffers advice to young women in the legal profession on how to achieve lasting success and become forces to reckon with. Would you consider yourself a success? Success is relative; I personally still have goals and objectives I want to achieve. With that in mind, I would not consider myself a success. During your early years of practice, did you ever feel intimidated by men in the profession? Did you ever feel disadvantaged because you are a woman? No, I have never felt intimidated by men. I may be intimidated by excellence generally, as most people would, but that has nothing to do with the person’s gender. Being a woman is not a disadvantage. I had a father who never distinguished between both genders. I was taught that I was at liberty to do and be anything I wanted to be so long as I was ready to work for it. As I grew into my teenage years and as a young lady, it became obvious that there was discrimination against women, but I did not allow it to impact me negatively. There were things that happened to me while rising through the ranks and it may be possible that they did happen to me because I am a woman. However, I did not let it bother me. My advice to young women is for you not to presume that you are being discriminated against because you are a woman, it may well be that the other person is a better candidate. A positive attitude sets your trajectory throughout your career. However, in circumstances where it is obvious that you are being discriminated against because you are a woman, I will advise that you stand up for yourself and address it firmly. I have done so in the past. Women in professions tend to get comments like “you’re aggressive”, while men are considered “assertive”. The trick is to disregard such remarks and maintain your focus. Is there any observation you have experienced about the challenges that women face that is specific to law firms? Generally, more conservative law firms are reluctant to employ women as lawyers. This is probably because they want a lawyer who is flexible enough to work anywhere, anytime even at very such notice. However, some women, especially married women, may not always have this luxury because of the responsibilities that they may have. In such circumstances, depending on the type of firm, it may be easier for men to find jobs in private law firms. Another thing is attitude; I have noticed that young women try to play the female card especially when they are dealing with other women. They believe that such women will understand where they are coming from because they are also female. My advice to young women will be to project a positive image that way we will be able to rise above the challenges of gender disparity. Has it been easy juggling all your roles; wife, mother, lawyer, speaker? No; the trick is to multi-task. As a young woman I had to discipline myself to ensure all my roles were effectively met. My typical day then was to drop my kids off at school and resume work at 7:30am, during my one-hour lunch break, I would drive to my children’s school to take them home. Before heading back to the office, I would instruct them to do their homework in draft. I got back home around 6:00pm and whilst eating my dinner, I would go through their homework. By 8pm they were in bed. This meant I never really had spare time for myself, but it was a sacrifice I was willing to make. My husband and my mom were of invaluable assistance. What about the days when drafting briefs or other obligations meant you had to work late? I have never been one to stay at work late. If I needed to work, I would take it home. As a professional, there is a tendency for society to find faults with female professionals. I recognized that early enough and I knew I had to make time for all the different components of my life. What would you say you have learnt about leadership and mentoring? Are there any programs or initiatives you are involved in? It is fashionable to say one is a mentor, but I personally do not like the label “mentor” because it restricts me. While I am not involved in any formal program, there are several young women and female lawyers that I “mentor”. In our society, we tend to pay a lot of attention to labels rather than substance. Would you say confidence played a major role in rising through the ranks? Have you always been confident? Confidence is very important to achieve success. I have a reasonable amount of confidence. However, this does not mean that I don’t get nervous in certain situations because a healthy dose of nervousness is important to strike the right balance. The important thing is not to let it show. You are as confident as people know you are; if people know you lack confidence, they will treat you accordingly. I know it is challenging for a lot of female lawyers, however, you need to be assertive, know what you want and how to get it. You also need to enjoy what you do, when you do this, the fact that you are not getting the immediate financial reward makes it less of a problem because you enjoy your work. I wish young female lawyers would candidly ask themselves what they really want. I seem to see a lot of young lawyers working in law firms who appear not to be really happy. How would you advise young lawyers who dealing with fear or intimidation in their careers? Knowledge is key; you have to be well informed. A lot of young professionals spend a considerable amount of time on social media these days instead of spending time improving their knowledge. As long as you do not have that knowledge, you will always feel intimidated. Put your views across in a succinct and concise manner and people will take you seriously. Reach out to people you look up to in the profession, they may give you a perspective on how to handle the situation. Women are often taught to be gentle, soft-spoken and obedient? However, successful women are often described as aggressive and tough. Is it necessary for women to possess these qualities to achieve success? I disagree with your question. I think that men and women can be soft-spoken. I think the question is, “do you have to play down your femininity to succeed in the work place?” As a woman, being feminine is who I am. The fact that I am feminine does not stop me from being assertive and I do not necessarily have to be aggressive and tough to be successful. In addition, it does not mean that women who are not assertive cannot succeed in their work place. Being feminine is a good thing and it is not a disability. You can achieve as much as the next person. How can the legal profession cure under-representation of women at the top management levels in law firms? If more women stay in private practice for the long haul, we will have more women at top positions in law firms. We do have a significant number of women in top positions in private law firms and it can only get better. Thank you to Mrs. Miannaya Essien SAN for taking the time out to give this interview.]]>
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Authored by Ben Ijeoma Adigwe Esq., ACIarb (UK), LL.M, Dip. in Artificial Intelligence, Director at the Delta State Ministry of Justice, Asaba, Nigeria.
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