‘Adequate preparation saw me through’
Ephraim Ajejola
It has always been a practice in the legal profession to be prepared when going for a case. For Ephraim Ajejola, a lawyer in the Chambers of Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), who met the unexpected the first time he appeared in court, adequate preparation saw him through.
Ajejola, who narrated his experience to Blueprint he was supposed to appear with his senior in the office before Justice Aladetoyinbo, in a case at the Federal Capital Territory High Court, precisely in court six.
According to him, “My senior was supposed to come for that case, but I guess he was trying to sharpen my skill as a young lawyer, because we were supposed to move a small motion in court that day.
“Being my first time, I expected that I and my senior will be in court. But he deliberately did not come to court. He wanted me to take the motion for the first time and see how it will go. It is a practice in my office that everyone going to court should be prepared even if you are not the lead counsel in a case. That day, I was ready, though, I did not expect that I was going to take the motion. I had familiarized myself with the facts of the case before going to court.
“My senior actually came to court that day but he sat at the back and was looking at me. I looked at him too and expected him to come and lead me but he asked me to continue.
“I was a bit jittery, but the case went well. Ever since then, I’m always composed when I am in court for a case. A motion can be taken by a corp member observing his/her youth service in our office by virtue of the training we got.
“For starters, it is very important that you are always prepared and familiarize yourself with the case file you have. In that way, if anything happens, you will know how to tackle it. Anyone can move a motion, but it is a different ball game if you don’t even know the facts of the case you are going for. If you are prepared, you will know which order to apply and which section of the constitution you should cite”.
Filed Under: My First Time in Court
