PUNUKA celebrates staff, gets new partner as Idigbe advises young lawyers

Senior partner at Punuka Attorneys and Solicitors, Anthony Idigbe (SAN), has urged young lawyers to find their niche to succeed in the legal profession.

He gave the advice at the firm’s end-of-the-year party.

A former senior associate at the firm, Adeyinka Abdulsalam, was announced as a new partner at the event.

He was until his elevation the assistant head for the Maritime, Aviation and Transport Law Practice Groups.

According to Idigbe, Punuka has survived these years because the firm focuses on expert knowledge and has built competence in areas it has a competitive advantage.

He, therefore, urged aspiring lawyers and firms to be well-focused and build knowledge in their areas of strength.

“As parochial as the Nigerian system seems to be, there is still space for merit,” he said.

The senior partner also praised the members of staff for proving their worth and helping to entrench the firm’s strength and competence.

He said: “One thing I find interesting is that as parochial as the Nigerian system seems to be, there is space for merit. We found it and we are there. So I will urge colleagues in this profession to find their space in the market.

“At Punuka, we believe in merit, even in how we handle our cases and deal with our clients.
“Because we are based on merit, we believe your work will lead you to the next stage, not patronage, emotions, ethnicity or parochial considerations. Be focused and you will move ahead.

“At Punuka, our greatest asset is our human capital, and we encourage them to reach for the greatest peak of their careers. It is also good to focus on areas of strength and competence. One thing that has made Punuka survive and stand out is our focus on expert knowledge.

“We continue to build on our areas of competence – capital market, insolvency, construction law, arbitration, and laws. We can’t do everything, but we understand that if we are well-focused, we will cut our niche in the market. We seem to have found our space and we are there.”

Managing partner, Elizabeth Idigbe, said it was important to unwind and relax because “law is a serious profession, coupled with the difficulties in the country”.

She said: “This end-of-year party is important to us because we started the year with everyone and, by the grace of God, we are ending it with everyone. That is enough reason to thank God. Also because God has been awesome this year, despite all the economic challenges, it wasn’t bad for us, so we thank God.

“We are also doing this to thank our clients who continue to believe in us. We want them to see how grateful we are to them because, at the end of the day, relationships matter more than money.”

To the young aspiring lawyers, she said: “Make sure you have knowledge; do something new every year, and learn another area of the practice because your breakthrough can come from any area. Punuka is a full-service law firm with various practice groups, so we always encourage our young lawyers to always study.

“Our Senior Partner continues to learn not because he needs a job, but so he can know these areas of law and provide the best suitable service to clients. So, I tell young lawyers to acquire knowledge and have integrity; don’t because of the harsh economy do unethical things with your clients.”