LEGAL EDUCATION: ACT ONE SCENE ONE.

There seems to be a gap between what is taught in the law programmes in the universities and what is needed in legal practice. This gap is not unique to the law but a specific aspect in this gap is our major preoccupation here at the IBARU-McKENZIE BLAWG i.e. the professional marketing of legal services.
So, this is not a critique of the legal education system, it is really a pointing out of current realities and a pointer that the next step in the evolution of the practice of the law should now be taken, especially by the law firm.

There are fundamental business realities concerning the practice of the law that never come into the mind of the law student during his entire study programme of about 6 years, unless perhaps in the vague notion that he has to get a good job at a good law firm.
The most basic reality is that the law firm is a business, the practice of the law is a business and from this basic reality with all its consequences everything else flows. You should consider this idea as the foundation of everything that goes on at the law firm and yours truly suggests that the old timers who had to go through hell to discover this precious gem and now keep it away from younger lawyers are the ones who give the old timers a really bad rep. Teach the law associate/student the ability to look at the law as a business and watch the practice of the law bloom and develop in ways that only an economy that has the most brilliant and innovative and young minds engaged, can.
A rising tide lifts all boats so the deliberate promotion of this idea will mean the quality and hustle of the individual legal practitioner will get better and this will feed into the entire system, producing better lawyers, better arguments and a better reputation.

For suggestions that the individual lawyer should get it himself: this defeats the purpose of progress or achievement, a part of which is the mapping of the territory which makes further progress remotely possible and the legal practice system is built on the idea that there must be pupillage, the period where the greenhorn is shown the ropes. Even with this the ability of the individual will always matter so the lazy lout will always be thrown out on his ears. But which Nigerian lawyer is lazy? Just look at the effort they put in in rain, sleet or heat and it is only when they see that there is a basic component hat is missing from their work that it dawns on them that they do not have a snow ball's chance in hellfire and that mere labour will not get it done. In a sense they were doomed from the beginning because the legal education system left out vital survival skills that they would need in the jungle of the legal services marketplace.

However, many others go through the exact same system and become great and profitable but this focus on individual achievement defeats the purpose of setting up a system in the first place: a system is the only way to transfer productive knowledge to the largest number of people. And if the legal system cannot do this how will we ever have billion dollar, international firms that can pave the way for our local business to go global? Have you noticed the moment there is international business some chaps across the Atlantic are engaged to advise?