Practising senior lawyers in Bayelsa State have been charged to groom their junior colleagues to enable them grow and succeed in the legal profession.
Giving the charge at the opening ceremony of a three-day Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Young Lawyers Forum in Yenagoa, Governor Douye Diri said it was the only way to ensure the perpetuity of the profession.
Diri, who spoke through his Deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, identified determination and courage as two critical factors young lawyers need to succeed in their careers.
He maintained that although it was always challenging for young lawyers to make it, they must draw inspiration from those who had grown to the peak of their calling through determination and courage.
The Governor urged fresher’s in the legal profession to be fearless, maintaining that once they were bold, there was nothing that could conquer them.
The governor, who reminded the young lawyers of the technological innovations taking place in society, also encouraged them to take full advantage of the opportunities created by technology and the current realities.
A statement made available to Newsmen shortly after the governor’s address at the conference by the senior special assistant to deputy governor on media, Mr Doubara Atasi quoted the governor as saying:
“I want to use this opportunity to speak to the senior lawyers that they must realize that, until you encourage the young lawyers, you would stand alone. And when that happens, the survival of the law profession is threatened,
“All senior legal practitioners must try as much as possible to ensure the younger ones grow. For young lawyers, it is always challenging, but I want to tell you that everyone begins as a young lawyer, including the Chief Judge, the Attorney General and all the judges seated here.
“What has made them got to where they are today, were two things: ’courage and determination’. Once you are determined, you will get to where you want to get to in the legal profession and life in general”.
Declaring the ceremony open, the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Kate Abiri, said the conference was not only beneficial to young lawyers, but for the development of the legal profession in general.
Underscoring the importance of using modern day technology, Justice Abiri noted that the state judiciary was leveraging on it to improve on its services, especially in the area of justice delivery.
“The world we are in today is fast-moving from the use of analogue to the era of technology-driven society and globalization. It is therefore necessary that you all key into this emerging trend, in order not to be left behind”, the Chief Judge said.
Also speaking, the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Biriyai Dambo (SAN), recalled that his experience as a young lawyer was radically different from that of the present generation, noting that modern day practice is essentially technologically-driven.

By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells,Yenagoa