A beautiful young Nigerian woman has scaled the odds to emerge victorious after bagging first-class from law school. Talking about  how she rose from been at the bottom of her class to the top of her class. She shared an inspiring story how she defeated her fears and came out on top.

The lady who identifies as Ajoke Halima Olawuyi  turned things around to bag a Second Class Upper at the University of Ilorin and also won a prize for excellent performance at the Law School. From a family of nine and the fourth of seven children, two boys and five girls. She narrated how she  spent most of her childhood and teenage years in Lagos State.

According to The Nation, She wrote; ”I cried so much from the embarrassment, but I realised that this made me a bit more serious about my school work. I later enrolled at Maryland Comprehensive Secondary School, Maryland in 2011.”

”I graduated from the University of Ilorin in 2017, where I obtained my LL.B with a Second Class (Upper Division) Hons. degree. Thereafter, I attended the Nigerian Law School, Lagos Campus in 2018 and obtained my B.L degree with a First Class. I was called to the Nigerian Bar in November, 2018. I am also currently an Associate member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK).”

On accompanying her dad to court, she said, ”My dad is a senior lawyer in the legal profession. Although I accompanied him to court on a number of occasions when I was younger, I always had to sit and wait in the car till he was done with his court session. However, in recent times, I have had the privilege to attend some probate sessions with my dad and it has been very enlightening.”

She also talked  about her interest in writing if she hadn’t become a lawyer and what drove her into the profession. ”My interest in Law developed from a movie I watched one day. Also, I discovered at an early age that I reacted differently to situations of oppression, especially rape. If I had not studied Law, I probably would have been a writer, because that is the next best thing I do. I have written a couple of poems and I am presently working on my first book.”

”I always refer to law school as a different phase in my life unlike any other time because my experience there was “intense”. I went through Law School with a mind-set of “do or do”; I had a goal and I was determined to achieve it. I decided I had to read every topic before the class and this gave me an idea of what would be discussed in the class. It also made it easier to understand each topic while it was being discussed in the class. After the 20-week lecture, I still continued to read at every opportunity I got in preparation for my examinations. I had a small reading group as well when the exams were closer. The only other thing I did more than reading was praying.”

”I would not describe Law School as challenging, rather I would say it was tasking, so, coping with Law School just means you have to find time to cover up the coursework. I had a reading plan and this helped me to organise my schedule. I also had extra time on my hands for other activities like hanging out with friends, watching TV shows and movies. My family was even more ecstatic than I was. Everyone was proud of me and that made me feel really special. The day of my Call, I had a little party and all my family members and friends of the family turned out for me. I got a lot of cash gifts from my uncles as well.”

Over the Challenges young lawyers face, she said that  young lawyers would have complicated issues with their seniors because the legal profession is one you learn while you are at the job, as you will often hear lawyers say that ‘practice is different from academics’. However, when a young lawyer makes a mistake, some senior lawyers would rather resort to making fun of you instead of putting you through. This is a demeaning practice that most times messes with the self-esteem and confidence of the young lawyer.

On the issue of remuneration,she said; ” I believe the pay given to young lawyers is not encouraging. Another important issue is that clients do not trust young lawyers enough to believe they can handle their dealings competently and this is not always the case, which is why you will find that your first clients would most often be your family.”

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