Law”

From not wanting to be a lawyer to becoming a Partner at Banwo & Ighodalo, one of Nigeria’s leading Law firms, Kehinde Ojuawo’s dashed dream of becoming a wealthy accountant or diplomat was not so bad after all. The bright commercial Law expert shares his journey to career success with Business Elites Africa in this interesting interview.

Many know you as an accomplished commercial lawyer, but I assume the journey to that feat was not a cakewalk. Share your growth story with us, starting from why you chose to study Law.

Firstly, people often find it surprising when I tell them that I didn’t set out to be a lawyer!

“My Father Forced me to Study Law” – Kehinde Ojuawo

While growing up, I believed I would make a good Accountant or Diplomat. I used to be a non-conformist and was set in my own ways, which were not always conventional. One of the first significant audacious decisions I took was to opt out of science-related subjects in year three of Junior Secondary School at the Nigerian Navy Secondary School Abeokuta, though I excelled at them. My father was disturbed by my decision, considering that the sciences offered me a wider variety of professional disciplines, typically regarded as prestigious. He had always emphasised the need for my siblings and me to study professional courses, which ensured that we could establish our own practices - individually or in partnership.

As a negotiated compromise, my father supported my decision not to continue with science-related subjects on the condition that I would study Law. It was an acceptable deal at the time since I was, and I have remained, a very ardent believer and advocate of social justice, fairness, freedom, and civil liberty. So, that was how I missed out on being a rich Accountant or widely travelled career Diplomat!

When writing the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board examination, after year six, I was already boxed-in and committed to studying Law from year three! However, I also learnt a lifelong lesson from this experience: with dedication and focus, one can thrive in situations where one finds oneself. Therefore, although I am still not a “natural lawyer”, I have managed to become a Partner in a leading Law firm. That experience has also helped dispel stereotypes such as colloquial statements, commonly made in my formative years, that only people who are loquacious lawyers make good lawyers! Now I know that with an analytical and logical mind - of course, among several other qualities - one can be a good lawyer.

In your early years in practice, were there experiences that made you doubt if you still wanted to pursue a career in Law?

Interestingly, even though I mentioned that I didn’t initially set out to be a lawyer, I decided to give my all to legal practice from the time I ventured into it. Yes, there were occasions when I had and considered offers to switch to seemingly more financially lucrative in-house roles. I realised that legal practice is prestigious, and it afforded me the opportunity to make a socio-economic impact, which is a value and purpose dear to me, and earn many more rewards which cannot be quantified. Most importantly, with perseverance, legal practice can be financially rewarding.

Perhaps, it has also helped tremendously that I have been fortunate to have been associated with the very best Law firms in my career.

What challenges did you have to overcome at the beginning of your journey?

I decided to study for a Masters’ degree shortly after qualifying as a lawyer, and then I stayed back in England for a while before returning to Nigeria. Before then, I had lost about two years (cumulative) due to various disruptions to our academic sessions in Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, because of vibrant student union activism and other strike actions that occurred during my time at the University. Therefore, I was behind, or so I thought. Nonetheless, I decided to commit a lot of time, and by that, I mean extremely long work hours, nearly on a “24-7” basis. That

work ethic and lifestyle has remained with me to date.

Also, I discovered that Law, like other social science concepts, is an evolving discipline. Whereas the fundamental principles remain constant, client needs and market practices are dynamic. However, I am very grateful that I joined Banwo & Ighodalo, which is renowned for being innovative, solution-focused and, above all, has a culture of rewarding merit. With hard work, dedication, quality exposure to the Law firm and support from superiors and colleagues, I could adjust and level-up within a short period.

Why the choice of commercial law?

That is a good question. Before I completed my University education, I was not exposed to commercial Law practice. In those times, litigation lawyers and Law firms, particularly those founded by human rights activists during the turbulent era of military rule and pro-democracy activism in Nigeria, were more famous. Therefore, many Law students in my time, especially those that did not study in schools located in commercial cities like Lagos, including my friends and I, aspired to practice in leading dispute resolution firms. We thought, “what was the point of being a “Barrister” if you are not practising in your wig and gown.”

I got exposed to large-scale commercial Law practice when I interned at one of the leading commercial Law firms in Lagos after I left the University and before studying at the Nigerian Law School. I got that opportunity through sheer providence – one of my friends had an uncle whose office was located opposite that Law firm. My friend encouraged me to apply for an internship position in a Law firm. I didn’t take the issue seriously, but I decided to write the test, which was an aptitude/ psychometric test rather than a test of my legal knowledge and skills. That was the first time I wrote such a form of test, and, fortunately, I passed and started work there.

It was indeed a life-changing experience for me. I learnt a lot during those 3 months, particularly about commercial Law practice and business acumen. I remain eternally grateful to the two founding Partners of that law firm, which has since merged with other Law firms to form a much larger and prominent law practice, for helping to reshape my perspectives about law practice, my career and life, in general.

Commercial Law practice has afforded me the opportunity to work as a lawyer while also being deeply involved in structuring transactions and participating in businessrelated discussions. That way, I have been able to engage with practitioners in several other disciplines and learn much more than core law-related matters.

What was the biggest project you ever worked on, and how did you land it?

That is a very difficult question. Working in Banwo & Ighodalo, a first-tier Law firm, has given me opportunities to participate in several novel, landmark, challenging, market-defining, and rewarding transactions and projects, many of which are valued in billions of United States Dollars. Apart from transactions with significant monetary value. I am particularly happy and grateful to have worked on projects that have had and continue to have a positive impact on many lives.

As a lawyer, what gives you satisfaction and fulfillment?

It must be seeing the impact of projects I have advised on – refineries, petrochemical plants, power plants and other notable and topical infrastructure projects. Restructuring and revitalisation of leading corporate organisations, including affiliates of leading multinational ventures), among others. Law practice has granted me access to participate in meetings and other fora where I have been able to interact with, and earn the respect of top government officials, captains of industries, entrepreneurs, academia, among other leaders and to be part of making a difference in society.

How do you handle failure?

I am a perfectionist. Therefore, it is not a surprise that one of my greatest fears in life is the fear of failure. For this reason, I spend a significant portion of my time, including during my sleep, constantly thinking about matters I am involved in, evaluating various scenarios, predicting potential eventualities, and planning to avoid surprises or failure.

Graciously, I have not had too many experiences of major failure, particularly professionally! Nevertheless, I have learnt that failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently and with the benefit of hindsight and experience. However, it is natural and human to sulk and feel dejected when failures occur, especially after taking steps to avoid same. I have learned to pick myself up whenever I experience setback, learn from any mistakes or omissions made and forge ahead.

In your experience, how does one build a commercially viable business in Nigeria?

• Engage and retain knowledgeable and experienced personnel and advisers. It may initially seem that you are paying a premium, but the value almost always far outweighs the costs. Advisers and quality work force help to put in place and entrench structures, culture and values, based on their invaluable experiences that help businesses to thrive.

• Even where it initially doesn’t seem beneficial to do so, try not to cut corners or circumvent due processes.

• Carefully pay attention to growth, don’t get excitable, be cautious and save for the rainy days.

• Invest in intangibles, such as work culture and ethics. Never compromise on your values as this is what you will be known for in years to come.

• Have a resilient mindset because challenges will come. However, even through the challenges, try hard not to compromise on the standards of your service, products, and offerings.

In due time, this will speak for your business. To do this, you must be doing something you believe in and that gives you a deep sense of purpose. It is that purpose that will keep you going during the difficult times.