JUSTICE TESSY DIAI, ADVOCATES FOR A CONCERTED AND DELIBERATE EFFORT TO DEVELOP LEGAL PRACTITIONERS IN LINE WITH MODERN PRACTICE.
Delta State Chief Judge, Hon. Justice Tessy Diai made the call at the 2021 Law Week and 10th anniversary of the Oleh branch of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA on Wednesday, 13th October at Oleh, headquarter of Isoko South Local Government, Area, Delta State.
The Chief Judge who was represented by the Administrative Judge covering Oleh and Ozoro judicial divisions, Justice Cletus Emifoniye said: “We cannot continue to do things as it was in stone age, but develop the time for evolution to continue to take place.”
Declaring the event open, Justice Diai who was the chairman of the ceremony charged speakers, discussants and participants to prepare their minds to deliberate and exchange ideas in order to develop a workable template on how to move the legal profession forward, even as she expressed confidence that the calibre of legal practitioners and discussants chosen would do justice to the theme.
The State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Isaiah Bozimo stated that the theme of the Law Week, “Developing Lawyering Skills for Modern Practice” was apt particularly in the era of COVID-19 that is ravaging the entire world.
The AG who was represented by an Assistant Director in the Ministry of Justice, Mrs. Ejovwoke Oghorodje stated that the Ministry has put machinery in place to amend the State Administration of Criminal Justice Law 2017 to enable the criminal justice sector to move faster.
On the period prescribed by the ACJL for legal advice, the Justice Commissioner asserted that it was possible for the AG to render legal advice in two weeks from when the duplicate case file of the Defendant got to his office.
He implored members of the Bar to mount pressure on the registrars of Magistrate Court to forward case files of their clients quickly to AG’s office in Asaba.
Delivering the keynote lecture, Prof. Oghenemaro Festus Emiri (SAN) said that lawyers were problem solvers and should have the skills of finding the law, develop legal reasoning and communication skills, stressing that they should think, write and behave like lawyers.
The former deputy director general, Nigerian Law School (Yenagua Campus) and professor of Jurisprudence and Rhetoric, emphasised that the legal market was shrinking due to artificial intelligence (Machine competition), and legal practitioners who failed to move with the new trend would have their selves to blame.
On the defective nature of Continuing Legal Education (CLE) in Nigerian and foreign climes, the one time Dean, Faculty of Law Delta State University (Oleh Campus) stated, “I challenge the profession on CLE. Like is the case with legal educators, most lawyers CLE programmes are anti-lawyering. Sadly, the majority of law teachers are anti-intellectual about their primary professional concern, namely interrogating the content and method of legal education.”
Delivering a paper on the theme: “Bail Procedure Under the ACJL of Delta State” the national Welfare Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Barrister Kunle Edun took an overview of the sections of the Administration of the Delta State Criminal Justice Law 2017 of the sections concerning bail procedure, frowned at section 158(2) mandating the applicant applying for bail to deposit with registrar of court a ream of typing sheet paper, two standard office file jackets and bottle of correction fluid for official use of the court, stating that the above provision negates Section 36(5) of the Constitution.
“I know as a fact that many of Defendants being tried in courts cannot afford to pay lawyers. Then why should the State be transferring its responsibility to a suspect or a Defendant that is constitutionally presumed innocent, after paying filing fees?” He queried.
Edun who was represented by Barrister Patterson Osiobe pointed out that the said provision was unconstitutional and conflicts with the provisions of Section 36 (5) of the Constitution.
