By Dapo Ipoola

It is a clear understanding that studying law as a profession is no mincemeat. Apart from the rigour attached to it at the elementary stages- both undergraduate and the law school academic demands, becoming a successful lawyer is a not tea-party. Virtually every student in their secondary school days would either want to be a Lawyer or a medical Doctor, but the academic stamina to see to it to fruition is what has failed many in their dream to become a lawyer. Unlike other courses where an average student could manage to become a degree holder, it is no similar case in law and the similitude of that defies juxtaposition. In law, there are many hurdles to scale, and possibly without any shortcut because if one takes a shortcut to bypass the rudimentary desiderata, a possible shortcut will not suffice in the courtroom where you’ve got to argue on behalf of your client before a judge whose verdict later becomes final. Court victory is not served alacarte. It is based on convincing facts and staggering evidence that are unassailable. Lack of the above has made many lawyers unsuccessful in this noble profession. And to every successful lawyer, brilliance is a sine qua non.

To be a successful legal practitioner, one must have been steamed under many tutelary processes that stand to guarantee a successful legal carrier that attracts patronage, as there many diversity and intricate aspect of law. According Waters Lawyers, being a lawyer involves “every action you take, word you speak and letter you write is precise and planned. It’s when you know what to do in every situation no matter its complexity. It’s when your integrity and reputation remain crystal clear after years of wear and tear. It’s when you’ve come so far in your career you can never turn back. You won’t just think you are a lawyer; you will know it”. In recognition of the challenges in the legal profession, Luis De Carlos opined that, “The practice of law is, without a doubt, demanding. It requires not only solid legal knowledge, but also sound judgment, emotional intelligence, a desire to serve and, above all, tremendous dedication of time and energy. Probably the greatest difficulty for practitioners is achieving a good work-life balance. Both facets – work and life – are key to personal development and satisfaction and, unfortunately, they often clash with each other. It is not always easy to find an equilibrium because lawyers work for their clients and are not the masters of their own work schedules. This is an issue for each and every legal professional”.

Enter Barrister Tope Adebayo, the founder and senior partner at Tope Adebayo LP. Though he needs little or no introduction in his field for he has made many marks in the legal profession, led and won innumerable challenging cases in international assets recoveries, dispute arising from company management and administration in the telecommunications, oil and gas. His interest in law focuses on Dispute Resolution, International Asset Training, Recovery, Project Finance and Corporate Transactions, Energy and Natural Resources, Commercial and Corporate Services. As fondly called, BTA, is an accomplished lawyer whose stellar performances saw him graduating as the Best Graduating Student in the faculty of law, University of Ado-Ekiti, where he obtained his L.LB, and he was the President of the Student Union Government; he was also the Best Graduating Student during his LLM programme at the University of Lagos. BTA is an alumnus of the prestigious Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education; member of the Nigeria Bar Association(NBA); member of the International Bar Association; Fellow of the Nigeria Institute of Chartered Arbitrators; registered member of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria; Capital Market Consultant registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission; a Notary Public, and member of the Ekiti State Economic Management Team where he offers valuable economic advisory services for the development of the state.

As herculean as the legal profession is, BTA with his many remarkable accomplishments remain a trailblazer. And with the hot-headedness of the likes of BTA in this learned profession, it will be difficult for a machine to replace human qualities such as intuition, imagination, empathy and the ability to build trust which will continue to result in blazing the trail regardless of the seemingly impenetrability. As part of his hallmark, Barrister Tope Adebayo has over the years developed the penchant of identifying with the people- the have-nots, and this has inhibited his interest to seek to govern his state, Ekiti. But to everything in life, there is an appointed time- which shall tick in no distant time. Going by his experience and exposure, he has the requisite knowledge and the political wizardry to retool Ekiti State, administratively.

Dapo Ipoola, a media consultant wrote in from Ekiti State.