| ‘First appearance
in court intimidating’
By BASSEY BASSEY, Calabar
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
 |
•
Robin Umiom
Photo: SunNews Publishing
|
|
New entrants into the legal profession have been advised
to embrace the trauma of appearing in court for the first
time.
According to Barrister Umiom, senior partner in the law firm
of Kanu Agabi (SAN), ex-minister of justice, this is how a
new lawyer cuts his or her teeth in the practice
"After passing through all these hurdles, the new lawyer
who has just started practicing will develop the capability
of handling several cases in court," he said.
He said that as ‘new wig’ lawyers are always frightened,
especially when they are given briefs to appear before a ‘tough’
magistrate or judge.
Relating his first time experience in court, Barrister Umiom
said that he was given a brief by his master to appear in
court the next day and obtain judgment.
He said: "I had never worked with him before and I had
never handled any case in court before that time. I did not
know how to start. The file was given to me late, and the
instruction was ‘go and obtain judgment.’
"Meanwhile, the court sat by nine the next day. I was
sweating and the worst of it all was that the matter was the
last case. It was a horrible day for me, because the court
was a ‘no-nonsense court.’
"Surprisingly, the judge, knowing how naïve I was,
helped me and gave me necessary tips. He saw me through the
frightening process."
Another occasion that caused him nightmare, he said, was when
he was given a brief by his master to address the court. According
to him, he was frightened because he never did if before.
After passing through that experience successfully, he became
bold and began to appear for cases handed over to him in the
chamber where he worked.
Barrister Umiom, who has been in private legal practice since
1993, started active practice in 1995. He joined the Kanu
Agabi Chambers in October 1997. |
