“It is important to recognise that hard work, dedication, and consistency are among the guiding principles for achieving success in the legal profession, regardless of the practice area.” – Dr Godswill A. Agbaitoro
Dr Godswill A. Agbaitoro is a Lecturer at the University of Essex, United Kingdom and a distinguished legal scholar specialising in Energy Justice, Environmental Law, and Sustainable Development, with a particular focus on the Global South. His PhD research at the University of Essex, explored the role of energy justice as a strategic tool for advancing fair and inclusive energy policies. In 2019, he was a Visiting Research Scholar at the University of Houston Law Center, Texas, USA, further deepening his expertise in global energy governance. He is also a Visiting Fellow at the University of Bayreuth in Germany. Beyond academia, Godswill has provided expert consultancy and advisory services to government institutions in sub-Sahara African countries offering, insights on energy policy, regulatory frameworks, and sustainable development. With a background in legal practice, he qualified as a Barrister and Solicitor in Nigeria in 2011 and previously served as a Research Assistant to the Attorney-General & Commissioner for Justice, Edo State, Nigeria, contributing to policy reform and legal strategy. His academic credentials include an LLM in Oil and Gas Law (2014) from the University of Aberdeen, UK, and an LLB (2010) from Madonna University, Nigeria. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK) and an Associate Editor of the Journal of Sustainable Development Law and Policy.
1. The Driving Force for Choosing the Legal Profession.
When it comes to the legal profession and practice, the first thing that people tend to think about is practising law mainly as a Barrister and Solicitor. Sometimes, reference could be made to in-house counsel as a form of practice in the legal profession. Interestingly, people rarely see academia as a form of practice in the legal profession. This is a common mistake, even amongst lawyers, simply because the word “practice” has been erroneously equated to only those who are “advocates”. For Godswill, the legal profession extends beyond traditional law practice, as a Barrister and Solicitor, or in-house counsel, to include practice as an academic or educator. This is important because, very often, the society, particularly Africa, tends to overlook legal academics or educators who, in his opinion, are considered the most important part of the journey to acquiring a legal education.
Godswill aspired to be a law teacher and later a Professor at a very young age and that motivated him to choose the legal profession. He admired his lecturers during his undergraduate studies and enjoyed listening to them teach. For him, being an academic is deeply fulfilling, knowing that every day he gets an opportunity to train generations of students aspiring to build a career in the legal profession. This is priceless for him and something he continues to enjoy.
2. Qualities of an Exceptional Lawyer and How Young Professionals Can Cultivate Such Attributes.
Godswill believes several qualities define a truly exceptional lawyer. It also depends on the individual and the type of practice area they are involved in. As mentioned earlier, Godswill’s practice of law has always been rooted in academia. He considers this approach to be a different type of legal practice compared to the conventional or familiar paths. And so, when it comes to academia, some of the qualities that define an exceptional academic include hard work, consistency, resilience, passion for an area of research and teaching, and, of course, faith in God and self-belief. Godswill is a firm believer that hard work and preparation are rewarding, especially in the absence of opportunities. Imagine an individual who wishes to get to the peak of the legal profession but only stops at wishful thinking and fails every day to prepare for that or just sits and waits for opportunities to arise before they can begin preparation. They may end up being a mediocre, and from there, frustration sets in. As young professionals, one must constantly strive through hard work, dedication and preparation, even if there are no immediate results or opportunities. Godswill believes these attributes are distinguishing factors from peers.
3. Significant Ongoing Project or Initiatives and Possible Impacts.
A defining moment in the world of academia is the ability to make meaningful impact through one’s work, whether in education or research. The greatest achievement of academics is the ability to impact, which can occur in various ways. For example, teaching is already a form of impact in academia. But imagine being involved in a significant project that would change the law for the better or make it more effective and proactive, or in a research project that would introduce significant policy and regulatory changes in key sectors. Currently, Godswill is working on a major project that will receive funding from renowned funding bodies to train early-career academics and researchers in selected African countries in research and publications on energy justice. One of the project’s impacts will be to create opportunities for Global South scholars, particularly in Africa, to shape energy law and policy in accordance with the principles of justice.
4. Role Models and Impactful Books
Throughout Godswill’s academic career to date, he has looked up to (and continues to do so) several well-established academics, some of whom are in his area of expertise. The interesting part of his academic journey is that he has worked closely with them in person, and they continue to influence his career. He can only mention a few of them here: Professor Itse Sagay SAN, Professor Lawrence Atsegua SAN, Professor Maxwell Gidado SAN, Professor Ernest Ojukwu SAN, Professor Yinka Omorogbe SAN, Mr Jerry Nwagbogu, Professor Damilola Olawuyi SAN, and many more.
5. Advice or Guiding Principles for Young Legal Professionals and Advocates Trying to Find their Place and Purpose in the Legal Terrain.
Godswill still consider himself as part of the group of young legal professionals, and therefore, he will also be advising himself here. He thinks it is important to recognise that hard work, dedication, and consistency are among the guiding principles for achieving success in the legal profession, regardless of the practice area. For him, he has been very intentional in his pursuit of academics as a form of legal practice. He knew at an early stage what he wanted, which was to pursue a career in academia. He was intentional in preparing himself for that journey, including taking deliberate steps to work with his mentors, developing his writing and research abilities and undertaking activities that would help him get closer to becoming an academic. He strongly believes that there are opportunities and spaces out there for everyone to thrive and do great work in the legal profession in various capacities, but this requires deliberate actions, hard work, self-trust, and faith in God. Godswill would like to wrap up with one of his favourite quotes and guiding principles by Natalie Goldberg, “Trust in what you love, continue to do it, and it will take you where you need to go.”
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Editorial Team
Silver Obioha
Clinton Nyamongo
Kazeem Afolabi
Dikeledi Matlhagare
Tolulope Olasunkanmi
Sulaimon Badmus
Aya Hamdy
Princess Maake
Jemilat Akerele
Vera Enubianozor
Brandon Otieno
Oluwabusayo Awodele
Kyenpiya Wonang
Gift Nwoke
Jessica Odoh
Tracy Karumba
Mary-Jones Ossi
Halimah Oladunni
Mary Linus
Peter Momoh
Jessica Omoruyi
