For over 15 years, Nigerian-based business executive Jay Stephen Ogor has led JandL Oil and Gas in Lagos. He also serves as founding CEO of Raeanna Nigeria Limited, a telecommunications infrastructure company with over 250 employees. Alongside his various professional pursuits, Jay Ogor is working toward a law degree with a set agenda to bridge the divided gap between the poor and the rich in getting justice.
Like other areas of the world, the path to becoming a lawyer in Nigeria begins with earning an undergraduate degree from an accredited university or foreign institution. Prospective law students who pursue their undergraduate studies in Nigeria complete a bachelor of laws (LLB) degree, which comprises a five-year curriculum of mandatory courses in law.
After earning an LLB, individuals must enroll in the Nigerian Law School Bar II program, which focuses on building vocational knowledge and practical skills in the areas of criminal and civil litigation, corporate law, and legal ethics. It’s important to note that prior to starting the Bar II program, those with an undergraduate degree from a school outside Nigeria must complete the Bar I program to learn about the Nigerian legal system.
The final step toward earning a law degree in Nigeria requires that students undertake the bar exam. Those who pass receive their certificate of call to bar and are added to the Supreme Court of Nigeria’s Roll of Legal Practitioners. After a lawyer is added to the roll, he or she can legally practice law anywhere in the country.
