*The essay is in honour of the Chief Judge of Edo State, Hon. Justice E. A. Edigin

The Young Lawyers Forum of the Nigerian Bar Association, Benin Branch, are calling for entries for its annual essay Competition which is in honour of the Chief Judge of Edo State, Hon. Justice E. A. Edigin.

An advert made available to newsmen shows that only lawyers of seven years post call and below are eligible to participate. Such persons must have also paid their practicing fees and branch dues.

The topic of the essay is “LAWYERING DURING THE COVID AND IN THE POST COVID ERA: HOW PREPARED IS THE NIGERIAN JUSTICE SYSTEM?”

Interested persons are to submit their work online to email address: [email protected] and copy [email protected]; under “Subject” put in “1st YLF Annual Essay Writing Competition 2021” on or before April 23, 2021.

The winner stands the chance to win N700, 000. First runner up N50, 000 while 2nd Runner up wins N30, 000

Read details below:

23rd March, 2021

Dear Colleagues,

A CALL FOR ENTRIES FOR THE 1ST EDITION OF THE NBA BENIN YOUNG LAWYERS’ FORUM ANNUAL LEGAL ESSAY WRITING COMPETITION 2021 IN HONOUR OF THE HONOURABLE CHIEF JUDGE OF EDO STATE, JUSTICE E. A. EDIGIN

Introduction:

The Executive Council of the Young Lawyers’ Forum, NBA Benin (Lion) Branch calls for entries for the maiden edition of the Young Lawyers’ Forum Legal Essay Competition.

It is commonly said that a good lawyer will possess good writing skills which is one of the essential tools needed in the legal profession. Having the ability to write well, and indeed persuasively, lays a solid foundation for all the documents a lawyer must write such as contracts, letters, legal arguments and other court processes amongst many others.

Written communication is a primary way that information is distributed and recorded, especially in the legal profession as most communication and correspondences are required to be in writing and have very strict guidelines for accuracy. If a legal practitioner is unable to communicate well in writing, it may result in misunderstanding at the least; and damage to the client at the worst.

Clearly, the importance of writing in the legal profession cannot be overemphasized. Hence, the Executive Council of the Young Lawyers’ Forum, Nigerian Bar Association, Benin (Lion Bar) has decided to organise the 1st Edition of the NBA Benin Young Lawyers’ Forum Annual Legal Essay Writing Competition 2021 in honour of My Lord, the Honourable Chief Judge of Edo State, Justice Esther Amenaghawon Edigin.

Aims/Objectives

This Essay Writing Competition, which is the first of its kind, is aimed at achieving the following:

Honouring my Lord, the Honourable Chief Judge of Edo State, Justice Esther Amenaghawon Edigin for the giant developmental strides attained in a short period in office as the Chief Judge of our dear state.
Giving young lawyers the opportunity to demonstrate their writing talents/skills, their ability to think critically and their ability to express thoughts clearly and logically.
Enhancing legal writing among young lawyers in a bid to foster theoretical experiences for legal advancement in their field of endeavour.
From the choice of the topic, the essay competition aims to reflect the opinions, voices, inputs and recommendations of young legal minds on the challenges of the Nigerian justice system in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic and the way out.
To enable young lawyers to key into the philosophy of “Publish and Flourish” and equally contribute to knowledge.
To reward young legal practitioners whose essays are assessed as the best in the competition.
Eligibility of Participating

Participation in the essay competition shall be restricted to young lawyers (from 1 – 7 years post call) who have fulfilled their financial obligations to wit: payment of Bar Practicing Fee and local due as and when due.

Timeline/Schedule

24th March, 2021 ………… Launching of the call for entries
25th March – 20th April, 2021 ………… Open for submissions
21st April, 2021 ………… Close of submissions
21st – 29th of April, 2021 ………… Assessment of submitted essays
30th April, 2021 ………… Announcement of winners
May, 2021 ………… Presentation of awards to the winners at the farewell dinner/ceremony in honour of the Chief Judge.
Area of Research/Topic of Essay Competition:

The agreed topic for the 1st Edition of the NBA Benin Young Lawyers’ Forum Annual Legal Essay Writing Competition 2021 as picked by the Honourable Chief Judge from two suggested topics is:

LAWYERING DURING THE COVID AND IN THE POST COVID ERA: HOW PREPARED IS THE NIGERIAN JUSTICE SYSTEM?

Prizes/Awards:

Cash prizes shall be given to the overall best, first runner up and second runner up. Also, consolation prizes and a certificate of participation shall be given to all participants. Furthermore, in order to boost morale and give the winner a sense of fulfillment, the final winner of the Competition shall be awarded or presented with a trophy/plague.

The cash prize of N150,000.00 in total will be awarded to the best three (3) essay writers in the following proportion:

1ST PRIZE N70,000.00
2ND PRIZE N50,000.00
3RD PRIZE N30,000.00

Apart from the cash prizes and awards, the works of the winners will earn them recognition from proficient writers, editors and the general public both in the prints media and on social media.

The Panel of Judges:

To ensure transparency and quality assessment by professionals, the Panel of Judges who shall assess the works of each participant and also declare the winners shall be comprised of three (3) respected and very senior lawyers/lecturers drawn from the academic field; law faculties in particular.

The Panel of Judges shall determine the ranking of the essay in the first, second and third positions based on the aggregate of scores entered by each member of the panel in line with the Panel of Judges’ assessment criteria.

The decision of the Panel with respect to the winners shall be final and no appeal shall be entertained from such decision.

Guidelines/Instructions:

Eligible participants must follow all instructions to be eligible to win the contest.

Write one essay on the topic: “LAWYERING DURING THE COVID AND IN THE POST COVID ERA: HOW PREPARED IS THE NIGERIAN JUSTICE SYSTEM?”
Essays submitted for the competition must not have been published or submitted for publication in any academic journal or social media.
The essay must be the original work of the applicant.
Only one essay will be accepted per applicant and entrants shall be individuals only; group work or co-authored works will not be accepted.
The essay must be typed, with the participant’s name, year of call, valid email address, phone number and essay title captured on the front cover page of the work.
The essay should be: in English, in Word format (MS Word – DOC/DOCX), A4 paper size, Times New Roman with Font size 12 and line spacing 1.5 for the body of the essay, and the footnote references should be OSCOLA and 10-point single spaced.
The essay should have a minimum of 1,500 words and should not exceed 3,000 words, both including quoted matter and citation. Footnotes, heading, and cover page are not part of the words count.
The research work/essay must contain no plagiarism.
The authors shall reserve the copyright of the essays entered, provided the Executive Council of the Young Lawyers’ Forum can cause the essay of the winners to be published on the print and/or social media without the requirement of a further consent or notice of the authors.
Interested applicant should submit their work online to email address: [email protected] and copy [email protected]; under “Subject” put in “1st YLF Annual Essay Writing Competition 2021” and the document/file should be named “ YLF Benin Essay Writing Competition”. All sent emails would be acknowledged within 24 hours.
A hard copy of the essay should be sent to the Bar House, NBA Avenue, Behind the State High Court, Benin City.
The deadline for submission is 21st April, 2021. Only winners will be contacted individually via email and/or phone.
Signed:

Osayuki Kings Agbonghae, Esq.

(Chairman, NBA YLF, Benin)07036424400