CAN YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELF?
My name is Abdulrasheed Olurombi. I am a recent law graduate of Olabisi Onabanjo University. I graduated as the Best Graduating Law Student of the 2023/2024 session with a 4.81 CGPA—the second highest in the 40 years existence of the faculty.
WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO PURSUE YOUR CURRENT COURSE OF STUDY, AND HOW DO YOU SEE YOURSELF APPLYING YOUR KNOWLEDGE IN THE FUTURE?
Actually, there was no serious motivation. However, when I was in JSS 1, somebody asked me what I wanted to be, I said an accountant, and the person said, “why not lawyer”. Also, science didn’t really seem like my forte. The calculations that come with accounting were boring, too. Most importantly, I lived with certain law students in my neighbourhood and I loved everything about them, particularly the dressing, prestige, intelligence, and their charisma. On how I see myself applying the knowledge in the future, I would say advising and representing clients in commercial deals and championing the development of legal principles. Also, I think I will consider going into to academic, but not fulltime. I’ve thought about it before, and recently, two of my lecturers suggested it to me.
CAN YOU DESCRIBE A PARTICULARLY CHALLENGING PROJECT OR ASSIGNMENT YOU'VE WORKED ON? HOW DID YOU OVERCOME OBSTACLES?
Well, this would be memorials for moot court competitions. The one that was particularly challenging was my last one during the Asekun National Moot court competition where we had to prepare an amicus curiae brief on an intellectual property infringement hypo case. Nobody on the team did Intellectual Property Law as elective, and to make matters worse, the brief of arguments was to be as amicus curiae not as counsel for either party to the case. We had to get the help of a colleague who is versed in IP, and also read about the structure and objects of amicus curiae brief.
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CAN YOU GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF A TIME WHEN YOU DEMONSTRATED LEADERSHIP OR TEAMWORK SKILLS?
There’s a lot. I served in leadership positions in NAMLAS, Legal Magnates & Company, OOU, Funke Adekoya Chambers, OOU Law Clinic, and Employment Law Club. All activities in those positions were based on leadership and teamwork skills. Also, the moot court competitions I participated required great teamwork and the achievements from them, I believe, showcase a successful demonstration of said skills.
HOW DO YOU HANDLE STRESS, PRESSURE, OR SETBACKS?
I handle stress by taking breaks. I like to watch movies or play games. I take strolls, too. The Promodoro technique also helps with making reading less stressful. You see me online but I’m reading. With regard to setbacks, I very well know that life is not fair, and things don’t usually come easy. So, I take responsibility for my part in any setback, see it as a learning opportunity, and just remain persistent. I don’t cry though Lol.
HOW DO YOU PRIORITIZE TASKS AND MANAGE YOUR TIME EFFECTIVELY?
I usually consider the urgency attached to the tasks. I deal with the most urgent first. I manage my time well. I set my estimated duration for acting on a task during the day or at nights. I’m also flexible with it so as to be able to switch tasks when necessary. The ABC goal system also helps. I must at least hit my C-goal, i.e. minimum goal—for the day or week, as the case may be.
WHAT ARE YOUR GREATEST STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESS
I think my greatest strengths are my ability to easily grasp things and my ability to retain. I also consider my analytical mind one of my great strengths. For weakness, I would say
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WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE THE MOST VALUABLE ASPECTS OF YOUR UNIVERSITY EXPERIENCE SO FAR?
What I consider the most valuable aspects of my university experience, aside the classes, are my extracurricular activities and friendships. My participation in moot court competitions exposed me to certain things beyond the class and even helped hone my skills. The leadership positions helped me with my relations with people, as I was never really good with networking and socializing. I made great friends, too.
HOW DO YOU ENGAGE WITH THE UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY (E.G., CLUBS, ORGANIZATIONS, VOLUNTEER WORK?
I didn’t engage with communities outside law, basically NAMLAS, LMC and Law Clinic. Even these ones, I didn’t actively engage in them until my 300 level.
CAN YOU DESCRIBE A MEMORABLE LEARNING EXPERIENCE OR INTERACTION WITH A LECTURER?
There are many memorable learning experiences. But one memorable learning experience for me was my Banking Law classes and Insurance Law classes in 400 level. We were just two that did the course, and our classes were literally us making presentations and having discussions with the Lecturer—a Professor of Law. We analysed and critiqued Acts, cases, and principles. It was also nice having a Professor commending your positions on range of legal issues.
HOW DO YOU THINK THE UNIVERSITY COULD IMPROVE OR SUPPORT STUDENTS BETTER?
The school needs publicity. Also, there is need for the school to help students in getting great opportunities. But for seniors, many are not aware certain opportunities exist somewhere.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO INCOMING FRESHMAN?
My advice to a freshman is to take 100 level serious. Having good results or a strong CGPA at the end of 100 level helps a lot. It helped me. Also, identify your priorities, top of which must be excelling in this school. A considerable part, if not the whole, of your mentorship, friendship, and other relations should be for the purpose of you excelling.
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HOW WOULD YOU APPROACH A COMPLEX PROBLEM OR ETHICAL DILEMMA IN YOUR FIELD?
This may be because I’ve not started practising. I think the easy way for me would just be to avoid offending the rules of professional conduct.
CAN YOU WALK ME THROUGH YOUR THOUGHT PROCESS WHEN TACKLING A DIFFICULT LAW EXAM?
If it’s a problem question, I identify the area of focus. If I’m not 100% sure of the area, I wouldn’t attempt it. After identifying that, if it deals with a concept that is based on the existence of certain elements (which is often the case), I identify the elements and their presence or absence in the scenario given. I identify the implication of such presence or absence of the elements. I, then, ask myself if there are any exceptions, and if there are, whether there are facts in the scenario that constitute any exception.
I also do the same for non-problem questions but in this case without application. Also, some questions require what I call “perspe” i.e. perspectives. I try to think back to courses I’ve done in the past to see if there is anything that could help in tackling the present question. I did that mostly in jurisprudence.
HOW DO YOU EVALUATE INFORMATION AND SOURCES FOR CREDIBILITY?
Is the information from a statute, case law, or book? If so, I look up the book, case or statute for the information. You don’t want to cite a non genuine case or statutory provision. I mean, a lecturer entered a course group chat to ask some students to provide him with the citations of some cases they cited in the exam. Imagine they cited wrong cases. With regard to other kinds of information, I just check if the source is an authority in the area.
CAN YOU DISCUSS A CURRENT ISSUE IN YOUR FIELD AND POTENTIAL SOLUTION?
That would be the issue of Artificial Intelligence and the Legal Profession. There are concerns about whether the use of AI should be tolerated. A member of a panel once told me at an interview that “AI kills scholarship, and will kill humans”. There is no doubt that the use of AI will make lawyers more productive and efficient, because it reduces time. However, there is also the ethical consideration, such as potential breach of confidentiality. Briefly, in my opinion, AI may be used as a supporting system for certain activities, particularly analysis of a document or a case law or the provision of a statute, most especially where such provision has not come up for interpretation before the courts. We must, however, avoid overdependence such as writing motions or briefs with AI. These systems often give wrong authorities and may not even be up to date. This may jeopardise the case of a client. More so, such over-reliance will dull a lawyer, rendering such lawyer the opposite of the society’s expectations of a lawyer.
TELL ME ABOUT A TIME WHEN YOU OVERCAME A SIGNIFICANT OBSTACLE. –
That would be when I got a laptop. There were things I could not do, including earning some cash because I didn’t have laptop Lol.
YOU DEMONSTRATED INITIATIVE OR TOOK ON ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES. –
YOU RECEIVED FEEDBACK OR CRITICISM; HOW DID YOU RESPOND?
I’ve received quite some feedbacks. One of such feedbacks was from Afolabi Alawode during preparations for an inter-chamber moot court competition. In my draft of arguments, I made some arguments and he went to check it and came back to commend me. Also, I received a very encouraging feedback from Damilola Awotula on my entry for the first edition of Dr Demola Okeowo Essay Competition. In his comment, he commended my observation that section 45 of the constitution does not apply to right to dignity of human person. He also gave some insightful views. I’ve also received feedbacks on my advocacy and legal research at different competitions, too. One of such feedbacks was whether I was a mercenary. Lol