Is the legal profession 'flooded'? Allow me to contribute to the debate but in an enthusiastically positive perspective. I have practiced law for 18 years and garnered adequate information to make an informed opinion on this issue. Whilst lawyers are supposed to be 'social engineers' and required to provide leadership at a sectoral level [ presumably leading other professionals] -the training of lawyers in our law schools has not tangentially evolved . The curriculum is tailed into training court-room and commercial/ conveyancing lawyers. Indeed, there is a dominant perception that lawyer must be a person that demonstrates court-room prowess and argue cases all round. The implication is that the lawyers who are released to market all aspire to be court room practitioners. In turn all these lawyers end up competing in the same space, looking for the same 'bread' thereby creating the dominantly emerging perception that lawyers are too many.
On the contrary, there are other opportunities in the legal market/sector that are largely unexplored or have few lawyers working there. The fre lawyers in these unexplored/virgin markets are making a huge killing and are spoilt of choice of opportunities.
These sector include:
1. General policy and legislative design/development
2. Sectoral policy and legislative development-lawyers are needed in upstream, midstream, and downstream sub-sectors of the energy market, cooperative enterprise development , agricultural law, food-safety, animal health, trade and development, regional integration.
3. Emerging climate change discourse, green-finance [ commercial banks need lawyers who can advise on green contracts].
4. Science, Technology and innovation-the sector is driven by legislation that should be developed by lawyers. Actually, the development of technological platforms that are embedded in AI software threaten traditional forms of legal practice but also have immense opportunities for lawyers. Lawyers who understand the underlying dynamics are expected to lead and dominate the sector.
5. Data protection and privacy issues. Few lawyers are in this sector. I think they are doing well.
6. Intellectual property practice.
7. Emerging forms of practice that arise from increased commercial transactions and a growing economy -such as mergers and acquisitions, legal aspects of corporate finance, privatization, capital markets, asset-backed securities, and leveraged buy-out transactions, dealing in commodities and drafting of complex contracts [ option-puts, option-calls etc]
In summary, legal training should focus in training lawyers who the market needs. Let us not fight for one bread when there are 23 other bread in the horizon of legal practice. Remember the legal profession remains indispensable in the legal order as we know it.
Peter Wanyama
Men,
There is an important protein in your brain called BDNF
BRAIN-DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR
Important for:
• Learning process
• Memory
When you become depressed,
• Your learning process slows
• Your memory is distorted
This is because stress, anxiety and depression reduce the levels of BDNF
To ensure BDNF serves you well
• Start FASTING
• Start Exercising
FASTING and WORKING OUT increase BDNF, therefore improving your learning process and memory.
GUARD YOUR MENTAL FRAME
#MasculinitySaturday