A VERY LONG WALK TO THE BAR, NLS BEST GRAD MALE LAW SCHOOL EXPERIENCE
“And now, I shall proceed call out the names of the students who passed the March 2021 Bar Finals Examinations with a First Class Degree… please file out when you hear your name and be snappy about it.” The announcer’s voice, urgent, yet profusely ceremonial beckoned the students to the staged platform at Eagle’s Square, Abuja. This was on the Call to Bar Ceremony, 30th July 2021.
I sat on one of the installed seats at the Square like a spectator outside of my own body, watching as the mentioned students marched briskly to the platform. Then it hit me. My name was called “…Ezeoha Markanthony Chukwudi!” Apparently, it was not a dream. I also made a First Class. Me. “…Please we have no time. Once you hear your name, come forward.” And so, I walked robed in wig and gown, praying I don’t stumble. Hoping my wig does not fall off.
Seconds later, I joined my colleagues in the lineup. One after the other, we posed before the peering cameras, the photographers, and the distinguished Members of the Body of Benchers sitting in the far off, cordoned viewing box south of the Square.
Then again, something remarkable hit me. An announcement. “…For the Best Male Student, Ezeoha Markanthony Chukwudi…” And again. “…The Best Overall Male Student of the Year, Ezeoha Markanthony Chukwudi.” What struck me was the reality that I was receiving these awards. On the biggest stage of my life. On National television. To say I was ecstatic does not describe my exact mood. Perhaps, my face did not betray the exact pride I felt receiving the awards—maybe it was the face mask, maybe it was the stress of preparing for the Call to Bar Ceremony. But in that moment, I was proud of myself.
The adulations, the congratulations, the handshakes, and messages I received placed me in a surreal paradise. People expressed how much they believed in me. But did they know about the process? Maybe they believed, in any case, I will do well. The cameras did not capture the full story of my life prior to that glorious minute. Neither could the thousand other people know the story of my long walk to the Bar. This is why I am honoured to share my little back story on this platform.
This story begins with uncertainty.
I was initially uncertain what law school would be like. Will I make it out in one piece? Will I succeed? These were the questions I asked myself.
However, I believe uncertainty about NLS is best dispelled by experience. After my Call, I wrote more details on preparing for law school here. But nothing beats the real action.
Regardless of what I was tutored about navigating law school, learning through action was crucial. And it is this experience I will highlight next.
Having completed the University LLB program in 2019, law school loomed ominously. Usually, at this point, intending law school students fret because of the stories they hear about the Nigerian Law School—tales about how NLS is the real deal, the back breaker, the ultimate shaker. Tacitly interspersed with hyperbolic exaggerations, you could be distraught thinking about what lies ahead. I eventually found some of these stories to be true for the most part. This is why looking back I am awed by how I actually scaled through that daunting phase. In fact, even before scaling the NLS, I am, in retrospection awed by how I could get into law school. And no, do not raise your brows yet.
At the point of applying for the law school admission, I had a problem. I couldn’t raise enough funds for the program. I was quite close to consider deferring the program, but the magic of last-minute assistance came through, and that challenge was resolved.
Before resumption, and throughout my stay, I did something necessary for survival. I asked questions. Probed. I reached out to senior colleagues for guidance at every step of the way. When I felt lost, or demotivated, I called on friends for help. When I lacked money, I called my family, and friends for help. It is easy to forget how invaluable people’s assistance are when one revels in the joy of immediate success. And I am grateful for the gift of help.
It will be intellectually dishonest to pass off my stay in the NLS as well plotted, or perfect. Far from that. My experience was a cache of experiments. I tried out different study patterns that seemed ineffective and made me feel unproductive. In the early half of the NLS session, I was truly overwhelmed. The classes were intense. I had little time to recover after each school day—we were expected to study the lectures taught, prepare for the next day’s classes, and attend study groups. All within less than 24 hours. The weekends were like a good joke—makes you happy, but it is short.
I needed to a break. Something needed to happen fast because I was playing catch up to the curriculum.
What happened next was remarkably unprecedented. A force came that changed lives. And in the midst of its heralded confusion, it brought me some reprieve.
*The force called COVID.*
I recall the night Law School authorities announced that students should vacate the hostels and go home due to Covid-19 outbreak. That announcement was met with indescribable ecstasy from students in the various campuses. We celebrated. I celebrated. The shared relief was the possibility that we could take a pause from the intensity of law school. For me, it meant I could sleep more. And of course, I could get up to speed with study.
The intervening months on lockdown began with progress at first. I covered the curriculum. Then repeated. Repetition was important. One thing a new NLS student will discover is that the curriculum is vast. There are so many details to master against the Bar Exam. So, repeated study will aid in this respect. Like I said, I had to experiment. This was a revelation. For one, I ditched making comprehensive notes, and read the materials over again. For the important details like procedures, drafting, key provisions of statutes and case laws, I had to jot them down. Committing them to memory was a convoluted attempt. The more I tired mastering them, the more I forgot. The much that I could recall in the exam was through repetition and familiarity with the contents.
Practicing the past questions is important. But it is not enough to rely on the past questions alone. You need to beat the marking scheme. The past question answers are just the basic requirements for ‘passing’ the exams. You must find ways to improve on the answers.
The months stretched on to test my resilience and patience. With the uncertainty around resumption, anxiety set in. And frankly studying, at this tipping point, took the back seat. Then there was despair and sadness over the loss of two of my course mates. These sad events shook me and my university colleagues. I needed to be mentally strong under these circumstances because nothing appeared certain anymore.
The only certainty I had was the affirmation that the Bar Finals exams will hold. When that would happen was left to the authorities. But I was sure it will happen.
Then everything changed. We were called to resume the session in January. The Bar exams was slated for March. Things went by so fast. At this point, nothing mattered but preparing for the exams. Ironically, despite the long months of study, I was still unprepared by an objective standard. So, I had to focus on going over past questions and be sure that I can reduce the margin for error in the exam.
Once again, I reached out to senior colleagues. I was advised to work on these: Time management, prioritizing compulsory questions then attempting every question, reading the questions with extreme patience and calm, answering scenario posers comprehensively, doing well in the multiple choice questions exam, making my scripts neat and easy to mark in such a way the examiner will not miss the key points written.
After the exam week, I could only hope for the best. But then, I had another item to check off—job hunting.
The labour force in Nigeria is fiercely competitive. It is one more worry for the law school student—getting employed upon being called to the Bar. I had to be proactive if at all I wanted to secure a job in a top tier law firm. This meant sending out applications during the law school session. In fact, the lockdown helped me because I had a many virtual interviews.
In addition to application, persistent follow up was necessary. It will be disheartening if your application was lost in the pipeline because you did not follow up.
Eventually, I was fortunate to receive a job offer from Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie. Given the opportunity to learn about UUBO’s culture, I found it the best place begin my career.
Starting out in one of the country’s top commercial law firms to deepen knowledge in corporate and international transactions is one of my biggest wins. Maybe a post graduate plan is in the horizon somewhere. But for now, the priority is learning the industry ropes.
When the result came in, and I saw the first class, I was dazed. I tried to live with this fact—I was getting the Red Scroll after all. The succeeding weeks leading up to the ceremony at the Eagle’s Square were draining. But I suppose the happiness outweighed the stress.
I believe you know the story now.
