Could you briefly introduce yourself? ‎ My name is Lawrence C. Nnoli. I am ten years old at the bar. I am the managing partner of Nnoli Lawrence & Associates. ‎ What area (s) of law interests you? Apart from the general practice of law which I engage in, I love litigation, Intellectual Property and Criminal Law. ‎ What do you like most about legal practice?‎ It is a tool for social engineering. There is no area of life you won’t need a lawyer. From family to religion to business. Why do you choose to be a lawyer? ‎ It happened when I was in Primary three. I was having a discussion with my maternal uncle and grandmum when the subject of what I would like to become in future came up. I cannot remember what I answered then, but I remember that my uncle told me that the law profession is a very good and respected profession and from then, I told myself I will be a lawyer. ‎ What is your most critical time in practice you had to deal with? It was when I had to make a decision to leave public service for private practice. It was a tough decision seeing that I was leaving the known for the unknown. After consultations and deep thinking, I handed over my resignation letter to pursue my dreams. And I am happy for it today. What do you think determines progress in practice? God-factor, a lot of hardwork, integrity and courage. ‎ What are your outside interests and hobbies?‎ I don’t really have outside interests and hobbies; ‎apart from devoting time for my family and for church activities, I spend most of my time on legal practice related activites. Have you ever benefited from your ‎disappointment/mistakes? Very well. In fact those disappointments and mistakes most times served as sources of motivation. Could you tell us your experience as a young lawyer? One unforgettable experience as a young lawyer is my first court appearance. After NYSC, I worked briefly in a private law firm. Not too long after I resumed, we had a criminal appeal at the Court of Appeal Abuja division and the appeal was prepared solely by my principal and was to be taken by him. I remember that on this fateful day I arrive office early in the morning as usual and received a call from my principal that I should pick up the casefile and go to the Court of Appeal Abuja division and that he would soon join me. I went to the court with the casefile with the hope to hand it over to my principal for him to do the case only for him to call me and tell me that he would likely not meet up in time before the matter is called up. He told me to quickly peruse the casefile and the motions to be moved. Honestly, I was scared because that would be my first court appearance on my own ever and the matter was against Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) which was represented by their then director of prosecution, Mr. Femi Oloruntoba. Justice Mary Peter Odili was the presiding justice. I had to quickly approach my Mr Femi Oloruntoba and explain my predicament so that when I move the motions, he would not say anything that would put me on the spot. Luckily for me, he understood and that was that. I moved the motions and ever since then, I vowed that on no account would I go to court without preparing for the worst case scenario. Who has been most influential in your life? My maternal grandmum because I lived with her for the greater part of my childhood and adolescent years. She was a staunch Christian who believed and lived a life based on Christian principles. She was one of the most disciplined persons I have ever known. ‎Word of encouragement to up coming lawyers? ‎Hardwork, patience and integrity should be your watchword.]]>