WIP Calls for Advancement of Women in Legal Profession

Ugo Aliogo

The Trustee and Member of the Steering Committee of Women in the Profession (WIP), Nigeria Chapter, Mrs. Adeola Sunmola, has called for the need for the advancement of women in the legal profession, adding that if the right processes are in place, women will be able to succeed.

She also stated that women are finding it challenging to generate business, and pursue business leads.

Sunmola, who disclosed this last Thursday in Lagos during the WIP Nigeria Breakfast session with the theme: ‘Strategic Rainmaking: Empowering Women for The Future’, said the organisation is seeking to bring female legal practitioners together to engage in meaningful conversations about rainmaking and business development among other matters.

She noted that WIP’s objective is underscored by the importance of empowerment and that the subject of business development remains one of the most challenging issues for women in the legal profession.

She remarked that the session provided an opportunity to discuss these challenges and the solutions to those challenges and most importantly, how women in the legal profession can be rainmakers.

Sunmola further explained that the growth trajectory of women in certain facets of the legal profession, such as the judiciary, is a combination of many things, adding that women are in the majority, especially at the state level.

She averred that the data shows that there are a higher percentage of female Judges at the state level than their male counterparts, noting that this is not exactly the case for female lawyers in private practices.

According to her, “I don’t have that challenge in my firm because in my firm the ratio of men and women is 50-50. We are 50 percent female and 50 percent male, both at partner level and at junior and mid-levels. But that is not the same story for every other firm. In many other firms, there are still more male partners than women and the reason why this discussion resonates with me is because I work in a firm that was co-founded by a woman, Mrs. Myma Belo-Osagie. So, I am a beneficiary of that woman’s legacy, if I may put it that way. But that is not the story for many other women in law practice. That is why this session is important.

“I don’t see the prospects of female lawyers being different from that of the men. I think that women are juggling many balls, and naturally, dealing with the challenges that come with these responsibilities in marriage, childcare, and other areas, but I think that the advancement of female legal practitioners in private practice can be advanced further if the right processes and systems are established.

“My message is that if men can be successful rainmakers, so can women. We can build successful legal practices. We can be successful individually in our various practices and pursuits. We just need to put in the work and we need to find the right processes and an appropriate support ecosystem that will help us.

“So, if you need to hire help, as a woman, then do that. If you need to hire professionals that will elevate your brand and teach you the skills to become a successful rainmaker, go for it. On the domestic side of things, any chore that can be outsourced should be outsourced.”

She added: “In today’s world, some young mothers are still gas-lighted for hiring nannies and drivers. While it is true that it is possible to have everything but not at the same time, getting the right support system can make a world of difference and facilitate having everything as a woman in a more meaningful way.

“In my firm, Udo Udoma and Belo- Osagie, we the female partners have been successful because our male counterparts support us.”