Done, Dusted, and the Law School Wait.

So, you have just concluded your final examinations as an undergraduate law student. Congratulations. Believe me, I say this with so much candour — I couldn’t be more proud of your resilience and commitment. By completing your undergraduate law program, one aspect of the war is conquered. Forgive me if I use dramatic metaphors — war, fight, struggle, indaboski perhaps. But when one studies, or lives, in Nigeria, you naturally ease into an endless cycle of struggle with the system. And struggled you did, especially during those grueling five years. You struggled with the inefficiencies of the (public) education institutions.

You fought against forces of failure — literal and, as is customary of Nigerians to say, spiritual forces. In the end, because of the indaboski that you are, you graduated against all odds.

This is the back story to that long, made-for-inspiration picture post of yours ending with “….finally it is done and dusted”.

LOL, I digress.

Right now I can imagine what you think lies ahead. You should, I presume, be consumed with the thoughts of admission into the Nigerian Law School. Recently, some of you have reached out: “Want to know how Law School is like?” “How many textbooks did you use?” “How can I prepare for Law School?” “Which campus should I put in my application?” My first advice has always been to tell the inquisitive folks “take a deep breath, calm down.” But, in this post, I urge you to pay attention.

It usually takes a few months interval, upon conclusion of the various universities’ calendars before a new Law School session begins. This is of course under normal circumstances. But with this COVID-induced reality, you may not be too certain when the new session could commence. So we arrive at the tricky part of the wait — having a plan, being proactive, making the most of the hiatus before jetting off to campus.

In hindsight, I think having a post-university and pre-law school career plan is very essential. Remember when I said you should take a deep breath and calm down? Yeah, do just that. Do not fill your head with scenarios of survival in law school just yet. The law school no dey run. You will go and have your fill of it. For now, we need to talk of a plan. Some of the readers, probably have figured out what they want from their career and acted accordingly in amassing years of professional experiences. For many other readers, not so much, and this is why the period before law school could — and should — be strategically used.

I have identified some helpful activities you can engage in while you wait for law school. LOL, I am still waiting for my own results. We are all waiting. But yeah, let’s see what you should be doing in the meantime.

1. Internships, Internships.

You saw this coming, I bet. Internships are the basic, most significant way to learn the commercial ropes of the profession, to add some credence to your resume, and probably earn some money. Apply for as many internship roles as you can identify. Please also try to intern in a lot of places if possible for the diversity of experience. We will come to that shortly. Note that bearing the title intern is one thing, delivering a good job, is another. So, be proactive in your place of work! Give good value to the employers. Go above and beyond. Be visible. You could be asked, in a future interview, to explain in detail what you learned and did in an organization. You need to be able to defend that question. Also, getting a good reputation with the firm(s) and staff is a sure way to build a good network — a network that will be useful in the near term.

Do not be restricted to law firms alone, please. Expand your scope as much as possible. If you can work with companies, venture capital firms, startup companies, non-governmental organizations, do so — the sky is wide. The essence is acquiring a diversity of experience. Upon graduating from the University, I decided not to intern in any law firm until perhaps the NYSC year. And it turned out to be a good decision for me. So, figure out what works for you.

Are there alternatives to internships?

Certainly, there are. For some who may not be able to intern, there is still so much you can do to build professional competencies. For those who may be able to intern, they should also do the following, in addition to their job.

2 Take online and/or professional courses.

A good number of online courses are free, and they offer great insights into many areas of law. You could learn the fundamental principles, concepts, definitions, scope of practice areas like finance, commercial law, energy, etc. Now, I believe I should make a caveat. These online courses teach the basics usually based on jurisdictional uniqueness. A course may, for example, teach you the scope of intellectual property rights in the USA. This is great, but some of the laws may not apply to Nigeria. So you need to look out for these distinctions.

Closely linked to this is the need to frequently read articles, write-ups, and opinions from local and international lawyers, and law firms. It is another invaluable way to keep in touch with regulatory updates and expanding knowledge base. Read financial news and publications from specific organizations you are interested in — it helps as well.

Professional courses are useful. But, unlike online courses, they could be quite expensive. They are, however, important means to get in-depth, practical training. For example, the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria, the Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators, Institute of Chartered Arbitrators (UK and/or Nigeria), all offer useful training courses.

3. Build proficiency in other areas (…not taught in school).

You were taught many things in the university quite alright. But there are still many other things — skills — you probably were not taught. This is the period to identify and learn those relevant skills. For instance, digital skills are becoming increasingly important in building personal brands and having a profitable online presence. Working on building that aspect of your career is vital.

Building proficiency, again, will involve intense study. But first, you have to identify those specific areas where proficiency is needed. Let me give another example. Reading through an article, one may come across strange terms and/or concepts. Researching further on the meaning, and context that term is used shows you are taking a step in building some measure of proficiency on that subject matter — although this is limited, it is nevertheless important. Some websites should become your companions at this point. I usually recommend Investopedia and Thomson Reuters.

Someone also suggested law students should be able to read financial statements; learn how to code; improve document management skills; learn fashion/social etiquette; acquire people/soft skills. Well, I believe these are good suggestions, depending on your choice and goals.

4. Attend webinars.

Yes. Attend as many webinars as you can. Most of them are usually free, but you will gain immense knowledge from speakers and industry experts on interesting practice areas. The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), for instance, has some sub-committees devoted to research in some areas like the NBA Section on Business Law, Young Lawyers Forum, Corporate Governance sub-committee, etc. Ensure to follow their activities and join the online webinars hosted occasionally. By all means, do not be restricted to legal webinars. There are other platforms where economic, policies, finance/accounting issues are discussed. Attend those categories of webinars as well, because like I said, diversity in knowledge is a necessity.

5. Improve your writing skills

Writing is important. I will rephrase it — good writing skill is important. It ties the first four points above together. Writing skill is another aspect of proficiency building. It is the best way to articulate your interest in many subject matters. For me, writing has opened some doors and it could for you too. This article will not teach you how to write but will encourage you to learn the art of business, legal and if possible, creative writing.

Maybe I should chip in a little secret. One requirement you need to do well in your bar finals, I was taught, is the ability to write clearly, concisely, and attractively (as one of my mentors put it). This is also relevant for job applications which you will be confronted with very soon.

So, you could occasionally publish well thought, well-researched articles on your social media platforms. If you work for organizations involved in publishing thoughts/opinions on their websites, volunteer to participate in the research and writing process for them.

6. Focus on building a good work ethic ahead of perceived natural ability.

I cannot emphasize this enough. You need to cultivate a good work ethic. There is the insidious belief that people usually have which is: they are naturally intelligent and therefore need not work hard. News flash: there are many other smart and incredibly intelligent people out there. In the near future, they will be your competition. You will be competing with them for opportunities, so you really need to step up your game. One simply does not succeed on natural ability alone. Hard work, consistency, and discipline are required to do the gritty jobs which will give you a successful career.

7. Build a psyche to deal with rejections

You literally are one foot into the job market. In the coming months, expect to make applications for various roles. Expect to get rejected in some, if not many. The thing about dealing with rejection is to understand why it happens, and improving your attitude to it. Rejections could be a subtle reminder to work on aspects of your application process as writing a compelling CV and/or cover letter or being more engaging in the interview process. It could also mean that although you are a great candidate, there are just some other candidates with an edge over you. It could mean your application came late, and the position has been filled.

But let me tell you what rejection shouldn’t be. It should never be a resolution on your self-worth. Learn to deal with rejections, and to reinforce positivity.

8. Save up money. The near term depends on it.

This point is a bonus. Breathe, relax. But save. Yes, save up as much as you can. I should tell you, the law school program is capital intensive. Starting with the application process, to the fees, living expenses, travel costs, study materials, etc. Almost every aspect of the program requires spending a considerable amount of money. So you should make plans, and not be caught off guard eventually.

On a final note, please if you can, spoil yourself once in a while. Have fun while making the most of this interval. Soon you will be on the path to the end game: the road to the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

For now, flenjo very well — you are still in the spirit of done and dusted.