Female women in the legal industry, are of the opinion that women have all it takes to be in leadership positions.

This remark was made on Thursday, at the just concluded 2nd annual conference of the Nigerian Bar Association Women’s Forum (NBAWF), with the theme; “The Invisible Hands of Gender Bias; Championing Collective Change”.

The second plenary session, with the topic; “Rising To The Occasion: Leadership From The Eyes Of A Contemporary Woman”, was moderated by Shola Soleye, Judiciary Correspondent Channels TV. Other speakers were Wola Joseph, Chief Legal Officer & Company Secretary, Eko Electricity Distribution Plc; Nta Ekpiken, Principal Partner, NECS; Sheryl Galler, Chairperson New York State Bar Association Women in Law Section and Chinwe Odigboegwu, Legal Director, Guinness Nigeria Plc.

Speaking on the above topic, Wola, remarked that women have different approach when it comes to leadership. She noted that women are multitasking, talented and have motherly instincts and we that they can handle leadership positions.

Speaking on resistance from men, she said, she has not experienced that since she began her career and she attributed that to the manner in which the lady carries herself. “A lot of things can play out, it all depends on how the lady portrays herself.

“Ladies should not feel intimidated or bias towards men, rather they should see them as normal people. Feeling bias or not opening up will not give them room to acquire certain knowledge”.

She advised that there is need to work in order to get better and to improve. She also there should be compatibility of work, family life and the work-life balance for women as everyday experiences will contribute to the successes of women in the legal profession.

Sheryl, said there are huge benefits to having a woman as leader in law firms, companies, and in every other position. She said women have the capacities, and skills to effectively manage any position they find themselves. She further added that another benefit is that the older lady in a leadership position will serve as a role model. “It will build the confidence of the Younger lady seeing that a lady like her is in such positon and it will boost her confidence to aspire for that, believing she can achieve it.

She said not networking, no mentor, and lack of career planning were her challenges in her early years in practice. Therefore advised women to network and get mentors. She further said that one of the ways one can overcome the barriers is by attending conferences like this, where she can network and hear other people’s stories.

Ekpiken, said that a lady with feminine exceptionalism and laziness cannot go far. She added that it is important for everyone to put in work in order to improve herself.

“Every role or position you want to go in, someone has already been there, therefore You need someone to guide you, help you out and you must have good social skills and emotional intelligence.

Chinwe, when asked how she built her confidence and resilience in men dominated career, she responded by saying that she’s a work in progress.

“Women are good at mastering a lot of things. Every woman can be confident and when she wants to be.”

She said some areas that can boost one’s confidence are having knowledge, experience, and resilience.

“Living in Nigeria, especially in Lagos, is enough to build resilience because there are so many factors militating against the ability to stay strong.

“Going against the ties was what helped me to build resilience.

She urged the young lawyers to stay focus

“When making decision as a lawyer have a personal value and stand by it. Choices also matter, no matter how little it is. Where you have choice exercise your right to make that choice. Find a way to deal with the circumstance you cannot control when you don’t have a choice,” Chinwe said.

Speaking on Mentorship, they unanimously agreed that there is need to have a mentor as it is very important, however they said it has to be a person who is ready and willing to serve that purpose.