Recap: Law as a Business (2) by Charles Ajiboye, FICMC

Two weeks ago, on the 12th of February, 2020, at the second edition of the Law as a Business Chat by Charles Ajiboye, FICMC, once again words of wisdom filled the air.

For those who missed it, read the chat below: Remember, it’s a chat.

Hello Learned Friends,

Trust your day has been splendid.
It is that awesome time when, beyond all the noise that distracts us, we focus on how we can prosper in this business of law
I heartily welcome our new comers and assure you that this will be the most impactful group you have ever joined.
I understand we can be very busy, but please do not forget to help me know that you are with me by showing of hands and commenting as required
I am not a lecturer nor a teacher
We are here to learn from each other
I believe that a hungry lawyer is a weak lawyer
The more successful you are as a lawyer, the more successful you become
Yay!!!!

Punch lines…Words on marble
Read up again

Of what value is your ‘stubborn’ advocacy with a hungry stomach.
You family does not care about the ‘De law’ that everyone is shouting if you can’t meet your basic responsibilites
Hence the need to see your practice among other things, as a business
You are not Jesus Christ
Neither are you the Holy Prophet (SAW)
Your business has a replica
: Somebody has done something like it before

On of the ways to get to do anything, is to ask or what or replicate someone who has done it before
If you master that,then you can improve on it
It is my opinion, that it is mere arrogance to say you do not have a mentor or some kind of person you want to be like
Sadly most that have mentors only call them mentors to exploit them
it is what i call ‘a suckee…sucker relationship’
: You want a job, so you meet a lawyer who is an employer of labour and ask him to be your mentor just with the hope of having him employ you and not more
Mentorship gives you the opportunity to leverage on your mentor NOT to exploit him. Remember, this is supposed to be mutual
Back to the video.

It is a great idea to consider a Law Business, or let me shock you…any business at all
and decide to grow you business in like manners
You will be able to go close and study their beginning and how they have risen.
I will share a personal experience.
I do not have the privilege to have been born by an SAN, A Prof., A Doc. or some big named elite. I was born by parents who were extremely poor. I watched them fight hard to change their history and leave a better legacy for we their kids.
I saw the focus, the pain and the perseverance daily and i decided that if only i could deploy the same energy they deployed and not more, i was going to be far better than they were
So even though i was modeling after them, they did not have to be lawyers to be inspirations.
I further went out of my way to get mentors who where already there or ahead on the path i planned to go

I prayed and pushed to get into a seemingly big law firm for internship at least. So that even if i never get employed there later on, i would have understood the workings
I went on to intern with very small firms so i could also see how it can begin
It was then my duty to connect how it can begin from very small to become very great
I knew i had no big law firm or briefs waiting anywhere
Once the models and mentors were there,we started building what we now know as The Penthouse Law

Not an easy journey so far friends…but it has been worth
From me as a Sole Practitioner to, 15 solid people now, all better than me…in 7years…its not a bad journey
Even now, the team at The Penthouse know where we are headed
Our competitors are Global law firms
Yet our first level models are Local or Continental Law firms
We have some wild dreams at The Penthouse Law
and our models lets us know it is possible
It will scare you if you have no picture you are seeing
Once you can see it, then you can touch it
It is easier to envision it once you know its been done before

So let me hear from you

What are yo trying to achieve?
Are your models around you?
You could save yourself 20years of labour by drawing knowledge from the experience of others

It has been a great day again. Please let the conversation continue. Make your comment once you are settled. Ask your questions too. Theres someone here that may just have the answer.
For now, Charles Ajiboye needs to go and make some make some money
It is important we learn to fish together
Theres so much for us all
On that note i thank you so very much for your time this last 30minutes and trust you will be generous to bring in your friends here and share the punch lines in todays chat on your statuses and Profiles across platforms.
Once again, it has been Law Business Chat with Charles Ajiboye. If God pleases and men allow, your soon to be, National Assistant Publicity Secretary of the NBA.