In the vast expanse of the digital domain known as social media, where personalities are brought to life and reputations can either flourish or crumble with a mere click, emerges an enigmatic figure who has garnered both admiration and controversy in equal measure.
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Born into a family deeply rooted in the legal profession — her father a Senior Lawyer and her mother a Magistrate, both in Umuahia — let us introduce you to Ifunaya, a lawyer whose virtual presence has earned her the moniker “The Baddest Lawyer.” With a penchant for the dramatic and a talent for crafting attention-grabbing content, Ifunaya has cultivated a following that hangs on her every post and tweet.
However, beneath the façade of online charisma, a storm brews within the legal community, as the Nigerian Bar Association directs its attention toward her alleged misconduct.
The collision between Ifunaya’s unabashed online persona and the professional standards anticipated of legal practitioners has sparked a fervent debate among legal professionals and the general public, questioning the appropriateness and implications of her trial.
According to the opinion of a lawyer, Stephen Azubuike, “The alleged posting of unclad photos and videos by Ifunanya as well as the alleged smoking of prohibited substances are conduct unbecoming of a legal practitioner, and undoubtedly incompatible with her status as a lawyer. Therefore, it is immaterial that Ifunanya might have engaged in such conduct, as alleged, in other capacities other than in her capacity as a lawyer. It is also inconsequential that she probably may not be in active legal practice presently. The NBA has the right to proceed against you if you are unwilling to maintain a worthy standard of behaviour, and to disallow you from identifying as a member of the legal profession.”
However, another lawyer, Misbau Lateef, Ph.D while querying the said trial stated, “Ifunaya is also a self-acclaimed Instagram modeller and an artiste. Does being a qualified lawyer necessarily mean a person cannot go ahead to chart a new career or professional path in life? Does being a qualified lawyer necessarily mean a surrender of private rights on lifestyle that do not necessarily limit or offend the right of others? Don’t lawyers go to clubs and parties? Does a right stop being private merely because the holder chooses to go to public with it? Similarly, does her controversial social media lifestyle or projection constitute a breach of “public mortality”? And whose morals or public morality? These are some of the questions the LPDC will have to provide well nuanced answers for in the coming days. After all, It is the duty of her prosecutor to prove that she’s guilty as alleged.”
The two opinions above clearly reflect the divergence of the general public about the trial.
It is also worthy of note that Ifunaya has not kept mum on the commencement of Disciplinary proceedings against her. She is noted to have taken to her social media handles to inform her teeming supporters that she will trump the NBA like the Biblical David defeated Goliath.With Ifunaya’s defiant stance against the disciplinary proceedings, she brings a fervent belief in her right to carve a unique path, even as a legal practitioner. The dispute, however, transcends her singular case; it delves into the realm of societal norms, public morality, and the overarching image of the legal profession.
While it is beyond doubt that the NBA has the power to try erring lawyers before the LPDC for professional misconduct, what makes Ifunaya’s case intriguing is the detachment of her trial from any form of infraction committed in the course of discharging her professional duties as a lawyer. As a matter of fact, she had since distanced herself from the profession by her comments on social media and has therefore not crossed professional redlines in the strict sense. This is because professional misconduct has overtime been construed to mean the violation of ethical standards in the course of executing a professional responsibility.
However, it has been argued strongly and it is supported by this writer that under the Rules of Professional Conduct, 2023, a lawyer is precluded from engaging in any action which is unbecoming of a legal practitioner. RULE 1 of the RPC reads, “A Lawyer shall uphold and observe the rule of law, promote and Foster the cause of justice, maintain a high standard of professional conduct, and Shall not engage in any conduct which is unbecoming of a legal practitioner”
This provision by implication sets a high ethical and moral standard which lawyers must abide by in their day-to-day dealings.
It is not a case of privacy intrusion as alleged in some quarters, rather it is about preserving the prestige and nobility of the profession.
Lawyers must understand that the reputation and perception of the profession within public space is shaped by the character displayed by its members. If the NBA begins to tolerate and allow persons like Ifunaya to flourish undeterred, her profane and raunchy displays would continuously serve as a dent on the dignity of the profession and may result in an identity crisis where a professional that flaunts nobility as its hallmark nurses a member (or members) with ignoble tendencies within it.
On whether lawyers are precluded from exploring other personal passions outside the legal profession, that cannot be so.
There are a lot of lawyers engaged in non-law related activities who have not been queried or sanctioned. No lawyer engaging in any legal, noble and dignified endeavour no matter how unrelated to law will be subject to the NBA’s disciplinary hammer when their actions do not bring opprobrium to the profession or denigrates its core values like Ifunaya does.
Furthermore, we live in a society that frowns against nudity, obscenity and public display of pornography. It will be shameful and will make the NBA an object of severe mockery if it allows a member to publicly engage such conducts.
In conclusion, while society evolves and personal pursuits diversify, the legal community stands at a crossroads. Does allowing Ifunaya’s unorthodox online persona diminish the prestige of the profession? Should lawyers be shielded from scrutiny when their actions eclipse the values they represent? As the drama unfolds and the LPDC deliberates her fate, one thing remains clear: the case of Ifunaya forces a collective introspection into the ethical maze navigated by lawyers in the age of social media—a realm where every tweet, every post, and every gesture is subject to the unforgiving scrutiny of a global audience.
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