Things Are Not Always Equal By Daniel Bulusson – TheNigerialawyer

If everything happens as expected, a legal practitioner would
graduate from law school with a first class, work in a reputable
limited liability partnership in the legal profession, own a flashy
expensive car, live in an exotic mansion, and afford the good
things of life at every beck and call, etcetera etcetera
etcetera.

Unfortunately, things are not always equal and not everything
happens as expected. Not all lawyers are employed in good law firms
that pay N100,000 monthly, not all lawyers can afford a good suit
of N50,000, or live in comfortable furnished apartments, nor afford
financial stability.

Life is what life is, which begs the question, what is expected
of a lawyer in the legal profession when things are not always
equal? Some have reached out to me, that not all is black and white
as we paint it to be in our column, or clear and simple enough to
adhere to; some have tried to package but it does not get
appreciated, some have decided to go the extra mile in their effort
in the profession and are still not noticed, others say ‘but am a
good lawyer, why am I not getting the clients I want’.

As a result of these uncertainties in the way life plays out in
Nigeria, some give up on their dreams and personal goals, and
settle with the less that life has presented them. Those who are
even lucky to get employed in good law firms that pay well, most
times get complacent and do not bother anymore to pursue personal
goals.

What happened to the dreams and expectations of becoming a
lawyer, ‘when I become a lawyer, I want to fight injustice’, ‘when
I become a lawyer, I would delve into human rights to ensure that
Nigerians are not cheated of their fundamental human right by the
government of the day’, beautiful as the dreams were, because
things are not always equal, they fizzle out. The hardship and
reality of the legal profession choke them, such that they do not
see the light of day in practice.

Year in year out, the country produces five thousand and above
lawyers into the system with dreams of changing the legal
profession or making an impact, and as the call years increase,
these dreams die. Some have blamed the principals and senior
colleagues of law firms for demanding too much and paying little
for work done; some have argued that majority of the seniors do not
encourage the younger ones in their personal pursuit; others would
say that the legal profession does not provide a platform for the
young wig to succeed.

Letting go and giving up on personal pursuit in the long run
affects the legal profession as a whole, when every lawyer folds
their arms and are okay with the present situation of things, no
significant change would happen in the profession. We must begin to
ask the questions that matter, and find answers to them. The
seniors say the young ones are not productive enough and are only
after wealth; the young ones complain of exploitation and neglect
by the seniors, yet no one is doing much to bring a solution to the
conundrum.

There are quite a handful of game changers trying to make an
impact in the profession or bring about the desired change in the
profession, but because they are a handful, the profession does not
feel the effect of their effort. Truth be told, things are not
always equal, if a lawyer expects the legal profession to be rosy
and cool, before embarking on that personal pursuit that might lead
to change in the profession, then am sorry the change we all crave
might never come to pass.

Lawyers of the technology generation ought to step into the
profession expecting the worse, and still fight for what is right,
be the voice of the voiceless, be interested in the journey of
becoming. Truth be said, money, fame and affluence are good things
of life cherished by all, but things are not always as expected.
Look beyond what life has offered, and go after those things that
would bring inner peace. At the end of the day, we can complain all
we like, if we do nothing, things would remain the same.

Godspeed!

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