The Nigerian Bar Association Young Lawyers’ Forum (NBA-YLF) announces National Essay Competition in honour of the youngest Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Oyetola Muyiwa Atoyebi SAN. The announcement is as contained in a letter dated 21 January 2020, signed by the Chairman, NBA Young Lawyers’ Forum, Mr. Tobi Adebowale.

Topic

“My Role as a Lawyer in the Emerging Market of the Nigerian Legal Profession.”

Prizes

1^st Prize – Two Hundred Thousand Naira (N200,000).

2^nd Prize – One Hundred and Forty Thousand Naira (N140,000)

3^rd Prize – Eighty Thousand Naira (N80,000).

4^th Prize – Fifty Thousand Naira (N50,000).

5^th Prize – Thirty Thousand Naira (N30,000).

Qualification

Young lawyers of not more than 7 years’ post-qualification experience.

Registration

Interested persons should register at https://bit.ly/NBAYLFessay2020 between Tuesday, 21 January, 2020 and Thursday, 23 January 2020.

Submission Deadline

Essay entries must be submitted on or before 14 February, 2020.

Format

Minimum of 2,000 words and a maximum of 3,000 words, inclusive of references.

Referencing Style

The Oxford Standard for Citing Legal Authorities (OSCOLA).

Announcement of Winners

15 March 2020.

The competition is aimed to inspire young lawyers to continually build capacity in legal research and advocacy as well as envisioning their roles in the advancement of the legal profession.

Further Enquiries

nbaylf@nigerianbar.org.ng

@NBAYLFOfficial – Twitter & Instagram

Nigerian Bar Association Young Lawyers Forum – LinkedIn

Tips

• Ensure you understand the topic by carrying out proper analysis.
• Prepare a concise introduction that summarises what you set out to write in the essay.
• Let the body be developed with subheads that helps the reader navigate smoothly through your points and ideas.
• Supply authorities you relied on to avoid plagiarism.
• Adopt the use of short sentences and paragraphs.
• Be creative in your presentation.
• Avoid needless repetitions and verbosity.
• Be logical.
• Let your diction show your understanding of learned vocabulary but avoid use of legal jargons.
• Proof-read your work thoroughly to avoid typographical errors. Don’t say the judges will understand. They might not.

Good luck!