On Saturday while I was up and about meeting both new and old connections from the Legal Fraternity, I received a call from one of my paternal Fathers (the younger one).
The conversation we had, and the subsequent engagements reminded me of an important document I was supposed to pick from the High Court. I had largely been procrastinating because there was no immediate need for it, yet the officials had insisted that I need to pick it personally.
I purposed that on Monday, among the so many things to be accomplished was to go pick the document and indeed it was on my to do list Monday morning.
See, as you grow through the ranks in any place you work in; naturally you let go of certain work for the new members of your Team as they join. As a junior legal officer in a corporate entity, one of my “self-imposed” roles before the business hired an Administrator was to follow up timely issuance of both the Advocates’ practicing Certificates and the Department’s Certificate of Approval of Chambers.
What this meant is that at a minimum, unless I was supporting the litigation section of the department, I would make a few routine visits to the High Court; may be five times in the first half of the year.
With the addition of new Team members, the number of times reduced significantly and today was the first time I was going to the High Court in almost four (4) years may be.
It felt so surreal looking around all the changes that have happened in this time, a new state of the art court structure that is almost ready for utilization by the regular visitors, watching people that are either waiting for their matters to be heard or have escorted their relatives and as in the past there is always that person who is handcuffed and being escorted by the prison wardens.
I couldn’t help but wonder if being in this place was the DREAM at the beginning of my legal career. Whether I wanted to be robed like the learned friends or may be just may be, be the one handing down the judgments. I honestly have no answers yet, but it was exciting being in this place again-being “Alice in wonderland”.
Most importantly though, I am grateful for the opportunity to see such beauty and splendor unfold before my eyes. Very often, we focus on everything that is going wrong and forget what is going right.
The state of the art building is something to appreciate the Government for as we continue the fight to restore respect of the Judiciary, advocate for rule of law and justice for all.
My call to you too who is reading, as we pause to reflect on the state of affairs both good and bad; may we take a short, sweet break to relish in the good. Let us, just for a moment be like Alice in wonderland.
Wishing you all wonderful wonder moments.
Proud Advocate.
F.I.R.M