Although, as recognized by Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, the life of the law has been more of experience than logic, there is no denying that a sound legal education is the foundation of successful legal practice. I therefore salute our Law Faculties and the campuses of the Nigerian Law School in Nigeria.
In your individual and collective capacities, you have contributed towards the academic, professional and personal development of Nigerian lawyers. Your influence and efforts extend far beyond the classroom and well into the future of law practice in Nigeria.
I am aware of the efforts the Council of Legal Education and past and current NBA leaderships have made towards encouraging a strong partnership between the Bar and the Law School in the practical training of aspirants to the Nigerian Bar. I acknowledge that a lot of progress has been made in this respect. However, a lot still needs to be done.
If I become the NBA President in 2020, my team and I will work hard towards strengthening this partnership and extending this to the various legal education institutions in Nigeria, with a view to further refining the quality of legal education and making our new wigs more relevant to their environment.
There is a desperate need for reorientation in our profession and there is no better place for this to start, than from the foundation, which is our legal education.
Let’s do better.
Dr. Babatunde Ajibade, SAN, FCIArb
#TeamAjibade2020
#TeamUnity4Progress
