The bottom line is that we all have a path to follow which we must discover at a very early age or risk becoming senior lawyers where time flies past leaving one wondering what really happened. It might happen that a colleague immediately after call to bar gets appointed as a company secretary with a multi-national company, accompanied with a fully air conditioned car, a well furnished apartment in a choice location, and then a monthly pay check of one hundred and fifty thousand naira to two hundred fifty thousand naira. When this lawyer passes on his way to work while you are strolling to get a Keke Napep it seems like you were never classmates. It might also happen in another instance, two lawyers get into litigation together, one gets employed by a law firm that places value on the welfare of its employees, and all of a sudden he is looking crisp and fresh like he is 10 years at the bar, while the other is employed in one shabby law firm where going home with ten thousand naira at the end of the month is a thing of joy and well appreciated than going home empty. Needless to say more, if you don’t believe in yourself, you are letting yourself down; be your own standard, do things that make you happy and not to the gallery of public glare. Develop an interest on things that excite your quest for knowledge, identify with those that encourage personal development rather than diminish self-esteem. It is true that our seniors are giants on whose shoulders we should climb for better view and perspective in this practice of law, don’t get me wrong, mentorship and pupillage are two concepts in the legal profession I admire, encourage and advocate for, but that is all our seniors can be to us – a guide or mentor – the rest is left to us. The moment a young lawyer begins to use another fellow colleague as a yardstick for achievement or accomplishment, that is the moment such young lawyer begins to miss his step on his own true calling. A young lawyer must develop himself to be in a position to make informed choices and prepare for a fulfilling career. Don’t wait for a senior colleague to take you there. The downside to depending on another particular individual to succeed is that you leave yourself disappointed when they do things you don’t expect or don’t act when you expect them to. My point being, a lawyer is in the profession for his own benefit and progress, it is only natural to attend to his or place more importance on his than yours, and since life is not fair, maybe that is when you need him most. Take an infant for instance, the best a parent can do is to groom him or her and continue to make corrections till the child begins to choose what is wise and what is foolish from things taught at home. The important thing to note is that at the end of the day, it is the child that makes the decision. The same should apply to every young lawyer spread across the country: set a standard for yourself based on your competence and your target in life, not based on what someone else thinks is best for you. If litigation is taking the fun of the profession out of you and you no longer enjoying practice that way, why not go for what makes you happy. As Dr Tahir Mamman, OON, SAN, rightly said “… a lawyer will do himself a lot of good to identify early on what career path he wishes to pursue and set out to develop himself in good time. Along the way, mistakes may be made, reasons may arise to change course or embrace additional areas. Role models may be identified and established, practitioners linked up with who may give helping hand in many ways. Overall, however, the primary responsibility lies on the young lawyer to make his choice in good time.” Be your own standard. Do send your comment{s}, observation{s} and recommendation{s} to danielbulusson@gmail.com or like us on www.facebook.com/younglawyerscolumn]]>