Amidst Birthday Celebration, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN Delivers Rousing Lecture At The C. O. Anah, SAN Memorial Colloquium
Today 25th of October, 2022, despite being the birthday of Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, he had the distinct honor of addressing the audience at the C. O. ANAH SAN Memorial Colloquium, an event that revolved around the theme, “Practice Management: The Heartbeat of Every Impactful Legal Career.” This notable gathering took place at the distinguished Presidential Hall within the C. J Patterson Building, nestled within the serene precincts of All Saints Cathedral on Ozalla Road, Onitsha, Anambra State.
Osigwe’s discourse during this event was nothing short of thought-provoking and enlightening. His chosen topic, “Advertising: Navigating Today’s Realities with the Current Statutory Provisions of Professional Ethics,” delved deep into the intricate dynamics of legal practitioners’ conduct when it comes to promoting their services and attracting clientele.
The central focus of Osigwe’s discussion lay in scrutinizing the rules of professional conduct governing legal practitioners. He meticulously examined these guidelines to shed light on what lawyers are permitted to do, and perhaps more crucially, what they are prohibited from doing, in their quest to garner business and build thriving legal careers. In emphasizing the need for lawyers to maintain ethical standards in the course of practice, Osigwe noted that that even though legal practitioners in practice are engaged in legal business, they are not business people. We are part of a profession that has a special obligation to our clients, to the courts, to society, and to the higher cause of justice. Business people do not have such obligations. We do. In promoting our legal practice we must ensure that we observe the highest ethical standards in the profession. It should not be an anything-goes situation. To successfully run a practice like a business, one must be an entrepreneur who must act ethically at all nights and refuse to allow the urge to run a profitable practice to enmesh him or her in unethical conduct.
In a world where the legal landscape is evolving rapidly, and the lines between ethical promotion and overzealous advertising can blur, Osigwe’s insights provide a valuable compass for legal professionals navigating the complexities of contemporary legal practice. His presentation at the C. O. ANAH SAN Memorial Colloquium undoubtedly enriched the legal community’s understanding of these critical issues and reinforced the importance of upholding professional ethics in the pursuit of a successful legal career.
