Lawyers Agog for SLP Conference in Akure, Ondo State

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Hon. Justice Olanrewaju Akeredolu; Oyo State Gov-elect, Seyi Makinde; Paul Usoro, SAN; Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu; Hon. Justice Kayode Ariwoola; Mia Essien, SAN; Ayodele Akintunde, SAN; Folashade Alli, and Adekola Adeyeye Olawoye, SAN during the opening ceremony
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Lawyers Agog for SLP Conference in Akure, Ondo State

True to its nickname, the Sunshine State of Ondo in southwestern Nigeria gave legal practitioners from across the nation a warm welcome as members of the Nigerian Bar Association’s Section on Legal Practice (NBA-SLP) converged in Akure, the state capital, for its 2019 annual general conference.

Hon. Justice Olanrewaju Akeredolu; Oyo State Gov-elect, Seyi Makinde; Paul Usoro, SAN; Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu; Hon. Justice Kayode Ariwoola; Mia Essien, SAN; Ayodele Akintunde, SAN; Folashade Alli, and Adekola Adeyeye Olawoye, SAN during the opening ceremony

On arrival at The Dome (as the International Event and Cultural Centre in the city’s Government Reservation Area is also known), guests were serenaded by performers from the Ondo State Cultural Troupe, who greeted them with a medley of welcome songs in several Nigerian languages.

The occasion was graced by key players in the nation’s legal landscape, notably the national president of the NBA, Paul Usoro, SAN; the Honorable Justice Kayode Ariwoola, JSC (who represented the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria); the Paramount Ruler of Ondo Kingdom; the respective chairmen of the Section on Legal Practice, Miannaya Essien, SAN; and the Section on Business Law (SBL), Seni Adio, SAN.

The arrival of the chief host, His Excellency, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu, SAN, the Ondo State Governor who was also slated to be the Keynote Speaker, signaled the commencement of the event.Welcome remarks were made by the respective chairpersons of the 2019 conference organizing committee, Richard Ayodele Akintunde, SAN, and the SLP, Mia Essien, SAN. Both speakers spoke of the timeliness and relevance of the theme of this year’s conference, namely, ‘Value-Added Legal Practice.’ They also paid tribute to the Sunshine State, its people and its rich cultural and natural endowments – especially the majestic and awe-inspiring Idanre Hills, a phenomenon which Mrs. Essien, for one, was insistent that everyone who finds themselves in Ondo State must visit.

In his own remarks, NBA president Paul Usoro, SAN, stressed the importance of protecting the interests of legal practitioners as well as their clients in equal measure – even as the profession, like much else, is rapidly becoming globalized. Other goodwill messages came from the chairman of the NBA’s Akure branch, Daniel Olawale; the Ondo State attorney-general, Adekola Adeyeye Olawoye, SAN; the Chief Judge of the state, Hon. Justice Olanrewaju Akeredolu; and the presiding justice of the Akure judicial division of the court of appeal, Hon. Justice O. Omoleye (who was represented at this event by Hon. Justice M.A. Danjuma, CJA).

The event was declared officially open by the Hon. Justice Ariwoola, JSC in his capacity as the Acting CJN’s representatives.

In his keynote speech, Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu, who is himself a former President of the NBA (and the only one, to date, who was elected unopposed, as his citation pointed out), gave an exhaustive – and sometimes humorous – overview of the topics to be discussed at the conference. He also focused special attention on a) the need to add value to legal practice by sometimes delivering more than is expected – at a cost that is perceived by the client as reasonable; and b) to take full advantage of technology, with all its potential for disruption, in the delivery of legal services. Dwelling on the latter, Gov. Akeredolu urged lawyers not to fear technology (or worse still, ignore it) at the risk of becoming professionally irrelevant in the competitive marketplace of the 21st century. He also called for far-reaching reforms in continuing legal education, so as to match the annual turnover of law graduates with a commensurate upgrade in skills and competencies. The governor urged his colleagues to also embrace and acquire new skills in mediation as an alternative dispute resolution mechanism, stressing that not all problems can or must be resolved by litigation. ADR, he added, was as inevitable as the new technologies that are set to play the central role in the service delivery paradigm of the future. Speaking of paradigm shifts, the Ondo State helmsman called for an end to anachronistic rules banning lawyers from advertising their services in the media – stating that this was being done in other jurisdictions around the world. Times are a-changing, Akeredolu ended by saying, and for Nigeria to compete among the most dynamic jurisdictions in the world today – such as india, Singapore and others, lawyers must think outside the proverbial box and explore new practice areas in emerging fields of endeavor.

See photos below:

                  


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