Maritime Lawyer, Nonso Azih Hosts Career Seminar for Young Lawyers
On March 20, 2025, maritime lawyer, Nonso Azih, convened a career seminar for young lawyers at the Nigerian Law School’s dining hall, Lagos. The event brought together an impressive lineup of top legal professionals from prestigious law firms, including energy expert Dr. Echefu Ukattah of Olaniwun Ajayi, Ozioma from Stren and Blan, Adeyemi Akinsanya, Yemi Candide Johnson SAN, and others.
According to Azih, the seminar is aimed at filling the mentorship lacuna that young lawyers lack and empowering them by sharing valuable insights and practical advice on building a successful career. Azih emphasized the importance of mentoring and knowledge-sharing in shaping the future of the legal profession.
“The idea behind this program is that over time I’ve noticed a lacuna in mentorship for young lawyers. And it is to try as much as possible to fill in the gaps. That was why I took it upon myself to raise resources and call for well-meaning individuals to support what I’m doing to organize this for young lawyers”
Speaking to The Peoples’ Mouthpiece, the moderator of the event, Dr. Echefu Ukattah stressed the importance of hard work and self-motivation for young Lawyers in achieving success in the legal profession.
“When you start off in any profession, whether legal profession, medical field or any profession, it’s always tasking. But sometimes, it gets easier when you go higher. That’s why it is really important for young lawyers who are just starting off their careers to work hard, intensely and make conscious efforts.”
While it is tasking for young lawyers at the beginning of their career, Ukattah said law firms should also help young lawyers find their feet and maintain their work-life balance
“Law firms should also be intentional and we’ve done that in Olaniwun Ajayi. We were intentional in coming up with policies and putting new structures in place that will enable our young lawyers to at least obtain a certain measure of work-life balance. But the truth of the matter is that you have to be intentional about your own work-life balance which in most instances can never really have that perfectly”
One of the panellists at the seminar and a partner at Stren and Blan Partners, Ozioma Agu echoed Ukattah’s sentiment, highlighting the need for young lawyers to be proactive and patient while growing their careers.
“Of course, there are challenges everywhere. But you have to be resilient. You’ll struggle on a lot of things at the beginning, but it takes experience to get better. When you’ve done something over and over, you get better at it. So, if in your first year, or second year, you are stumbling or you’re finding some obstacles, Just give it time. Don’t panic.”
Ozioma recommends further that early career lawyers should learn to be observant of people who are doing well and get their insights and ideas on how to improve themselves very well.
At the dawn of the event, Azih pledged to make the seminar an annual event, providing a consistent platform for young legal professionals to learn, grow, and connect with industry leaders.
