_CONGRATULATING THE NEW SENIOR ADVOCATES OF NIGERIA OR

THE RANK, THE SILK, THE PRIVILEGE* - _CONGRATULATING THE NEW SENIOR ADVOCATES OF NIGERIA OR....

By: Bayo Akinlade Esq

When Bloggers summarize the speech made by the CJN, they focus on emphasizing that being a SAN does not exempt one from being disciplined.

For someone like me, I would have imagined that anyone who was even shortlisted to be a Senior Advocate of Nigeria had impeccable character and one who was not only disciplined in practice but whose name is synonymous with respect in the profession.

Now I am mindful that we all practiced law in different jurisdictions so forgive me if the examples I give are biased to my own location.

So who comes to my mind when I am talking about discipline at the Bar? Well for me, Mrs. H. A Balogun is the fear that grips me and puts me at my best behavior. Another individual whom I only knew from afar (which was deliberate) was the late Mr. kehinde Sofola, SAN.

There were others of course but these two scared the living daylight out of me because I better not be caught wearing the wrong colour dress or conducting myself in a manner that was unprofessional in their presence.

These seniors took their responsibility as leaders in the profession seriously and they hardly compromised the standards of the profession.

What goes into being a SAN these days, what is this orientation they receive and what is expected of them?

I would imagine that rank carried some responsibility to inspire, educate, encourage, protect and build a better legal profession.

I would expect that the Rank would be used for more than raising one's social portfolio and charging insane amounts of fees.... I had hoped that the Rank would be used to fight the cause of justice and to help the most vulnerable in our courtrooms.

Someone recently posted about the Rank and noted that you know when someone has applied for it when they suddenly stop speaking truth to power and once they obtain the title, they measure their words and choose to speak at places that are convenient for them to.

As I now congratulate these year's _set_ of Senior Advocates, I am happy you all reached your goals, fulfilled your ambitions and endured the agony of the selection process. Whether or not it was worth the effort, remains to be seen but for the rest of us, we will place an unfair burden on you so make it count.

Our expectations are that:
1. You give us more money for our programs and events (even if you can't afford it)
2. You show up at our programs and events (even if you don't have time or like such events)
3. You must drive a bigger and better car (even if it's a burden to you)
4. You avoid flying economy (don't let us catch you traveling by road ... You better have a good excuse and it must be for short distances in your private G-wagon with escorts)
5. You must now start walking on eggshells in court and out of court

You all are going home, not as you came but with the Rank!

For this long congratulatory message, I must encourage you all that you are only human but nevertheless consider that the Rank gives you more than social or professional status... It puts you in the position to bring positive changes to the political and legal landscape of this nation.

For the older SANs, what can I say that I haven't already said. I do appreciate many of you who do your best everyday to live up to expectations... It is not an easy burden.

For other senior lawyers without the Rank, I say; it is not an excuse that you have no title... Like Mrs. H. A Balogun does, so should we!

#HardtalkwithBayo