‘I AM TOO TROUBLESOME TO BE A JUDGE’ – Barr. Charles Ajiboye
By Yomi Oyelami
Executive Partner, The Penthouse Law, Barr. Charles Ajiboye and His Wife Display his Trek Africa Lawyer of the Year Award at the 6th edition, Trek Africa National Discourse and Awards Organized by Trek Africa Newspaper at Golden Gate, Ikoyi, Lagos.
A visit to the office of The Penthouse Law, a outlier law firm in the heart of the Lagos capital, Ikeja will amaze you. The organization that is pioneering a new move in the law profession thus, carving a distinct niche for itself among the large array of law chambers is headed by the fast rising Barrister at Law, Mr. Charles Ajiboye.
Mention Charles Ajiboye in the premises, and the personnel from the security man to the front desk officer to the lawyers and other members of the team will help you rephrase the name to simply ‘CA’. Why? It is just one of the many differentials that the man is bringing to the scene. He believes it is better to marry the European style ‘first name calling’ with the commonly used African model of deference ‘Mr, Mrs, et al + surname’ to create a bespoke model of ‘calling by initials’. Thus, at The Penthouse Law, you will hear names like CA, MJ and so on.
The man who just bagged the Trek Africa Award and the Esquire Award granted an exclusive interview to Yomi of Trek Africa Newspaper.
It is worth your read!
Trek Africa: Can we meet you?
Barr. CA: I am Charles Ajiboye, Executive Partner at the Penthouse Law. The Penthouse Law is a multiservice commercial law firm. We have carved a niche for ourselves in working with business startups. We mentor them, give them support from start till they become big. Many of them are already growing big so we stay with them when they are big as well. We have interest in the startup space, the tech space and the creative space. We use apps to give legal opinion. We make legal services bespoke.
Executive Partner, The Penthouse Law, Barr. Charles Ajiboye
Trek Africa: Do you feel threatened by the advent of technology in the law profession?
Barr. CA: I don’t feel threatened. Rather I feel excited because there was a generation that had the pioneer advantage. They were in our fathers’ generation. They had the advantage because at that time there were very few of them that were doing those things. There was also a time of indigenization when many Nigerians took over foreign businesses. Those people became successful in the banks, publishing houses, insurance companies, foreign exchange, eateries, and so on. Most of our parents just worked there but it was their mates who owned the businesses. They are billionaires till today. They are still ruling because they were pioneers of their time.
This season is a season again for pioneers. Many things are happening anew. Disruption is taking place in many areas. New ways of doing business are arising, old ways are fading away.
I have learnt that you do not try to fight principalities because spiritually, they don’t die. Wisdom means that for businesses of today, rather than compete you will pioneer. Pioneer advantage makes you go through uncommon path, suffer uncommon experiences, however you are likely to have uncommon results. Chances are high in our time that your results will be favourable, you will gather more speed and more relevance. No certainty but you will arrive somewhere different, most likely better!
So I am not afraid, I know there are many law firms already high up with the money, network and staffing, it will not be easy to compete but I can leave their path and pioneer my space. So what we do is there are many law firms heavily in oil and gas, transport, telecoms, aviation, but there are not many in automotive, entertainment, technology. Digital legal service is unknown to many.
Executive Partner, The Penthouse Law, Barr. Charles Ajiboye making a remark during the presentation of an award as Trek Africa Lawyer of the Year to his at the 6th edition, Trek Africa National Discourse and Awards Organized by Trek Africa Newspaper at Golden Gate, Ikoyi, Lagos.
When we started it was bleak, nobody understood what we are saying but that’s pioneering for you. In that opportunity, we are growing our own firm and not competing with them. We are creating a parallel platform, eventually we will get to the top. I have not gone out to pursue an oil and gas brief not because I can’t do it but I know there are bigwigs there that I have to battle with. Where I can spend N10,000 they can spend N1 million so they will make it tough. But in my own space, they are small if I can run fast enough, I will pioneer them.
Trek Africa: Morality and legality in law profession, do lawyers have right to choose briefs
Barr. CA: I have had this dilemma many times and any serious lawyer will have the same. It is immoral for a lawyer not to turn down a defenseless person who has come to you. This is because of your oath as a lawyer not to prejudge or condemn. Everybody is supposed to come to you as a minister in the temple of justice and you should give them advice on their chances before the law.
There is a thin line but the lawyer must remain a professional. Do the law, do the job, be professional, don’t take it personal. I can represent a Muslim; I don’t have to become a Muslim. I can represent Ogboni; I don’t have to become Ogboni. I can represent Witches Association of Nigeria; I don’t have a witch or wizard. I can also represent Christian; it does not mean I have to be a pastor. Just be a professional, the same way a bus driver carries everybody, the doctor treats everybody, eateries attend to everybody, a lawyer should not be different. His person should not be brought to bear in his work if he doesn’t cross his bounds.
He may be misunderstood in the court of public opinion but the lawyer should be first concerned about the court of law. What does the law say? You build your reputation, though, giver them honest opinion on their chances before the law. If you eat your egg before it hatches you will never have the bird that will lay more eggs. I have made that choice, if you have a good case. I will tell you, if not I will tell you.
When you are looking for someone that will tell you the truth, I will be there. I may not be popular but I will tell you in spite of your desperation. Yes I need your money but I will tell you the truth because that’s what differentiates me from the rest. If you live that way you will still get your own money, it’s just that we are not always patient.
Trek Africa: Is Nigeria upholding the rule of law?
Barr. CA: No, sadly so. The rule of law is under threat. Little wonder the President will come to the NBA conference to say that the rule of law can be suspended in the interest of national security.
What we have is the rule of might not the rule of law. When police beat people unnecessarily, it is not right. When people don’t want the law to take its course it is not right. We are all responsible but it is collapsing and will fall on us all.
Systems must work. Laws must work. If you say yes, then it should be yes for everybody. Until that comes to play, things would not work fine. People who beat traffic lights in Nigeria travel to nearby countries to join the queue and when they stay on the queue, everyone gets enough. But when some try to play it smart, everyone is stuck.
Trek Africa: Do Nigerians understand the gravity of defamation?
Barr. CA: This is another emerging area in our law. We are about to start testing it effectively. Because our wheel of justice grinds slowly and grinds forever, people don’t trust the process so they don’t even bother to go to court. The laws are there for us to go test in the law court. That’s how the law grows.
Trek Africa: Attorney General and Minister of Justice, should the office be split?
Barr. CA: Both are just offices, I don’t think being separate will make it more functional or less. The ministry is a large one with competent hands. If the office holder knows how to delegate, he will get things done.
I don’t think that’s what will make our judiciary better. It is a systemic issue. We need bold leadership to show some level of direction that will make the citizenry sit up. When the systems work everybody will take shape.
Trek Africa: Charles Ajiboye of the future, a SAN or a judge?
Barr. CA: As far as I can see, I can tell you that you won’t see a judge. If it pleases God, you will see a SAN. I am too troublesome to be a judge.
But even the way SANs are appointed require overhauling. The rules are evolving but many are still antique. They have to come to my office to see many books that I probably don’t read because we use more e-books now and that’s not one of the things they are looking for. The world is going towards virtual offices where everybody will work from home but they want to see headcount. So for us that are building future law firms have learned new wisdom. That is the handset principle. It states that you can’t change the password of a phone without entering the old password. So we are trying to conform with the old password despite that we know that it is not relevant but just so we can change it to the new password.
