There are bad clients, just as there are bad lawyers – SAN Ogunde
By Ifeoma Ikem
Oluwemimo Ogunde,a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and former attorney general of Ogun state say there are bad clients just as there are bad lawyers.
Ogunde said this at the unveiling ceremony of his book titled “Lawyer-Client Relation” on Friday at Marcellina’s place, Ikeja, Lagos.
He said the book was written for the role of lawyer client relations in Nigeria highlighting ethics in the Nigerian legal profession.
“it is an undeniable fact in Nigeria that the lawyer-client relation is fraught with problems which range from mutual suspicion to outright hostility.
“Of course, there are bad clients, just as there are bad lawyers who perceive all clients to be dangerous whilst clients also have the same opinion about lawyers.
“This result is that every aspect of justice delivery system suffers.
“The judge receives little or no help from an ill prepared lawyer from whom vital evidence is withheld and the client loses the case he ought to have won due to frequent changes in legal representation and poor presentation of his case.
He noted that the mutual suspicion deprives the lawyer of his legal fees as the client refrains from briefing counsel when he needs one whilst the lawyer, lacking the revenue for developing his practices drifts away from his calling to unwanted means of earring income many of which lead to loss of dignity and traps for unprofessional conduct.
“I have had both good and bad clients, and these two have helped me in my professional development.
“Through bad clients, I have come to understand how to guard against deceit, entrapment and seduction”.
He said that angry clients have taught him patience.
“I can boldly state that bad clients have helped me to know my true worth as a human being because they made me to see and curb all the lustful desires that could have ruined me had they remained latent.
“The only client who on a frivolous petition laid a complaint against me to the NBA around 1999 is still a good friend of mine.
“And some of those who refused to pay me returned to brief me again and we reconciled”.
While commenting on the book,Mrs Yinka Ogunde commended the author for carrying out an insightful work within few months.
“As of this time last year they were no book, from the depths of my heart I appreciate the author, it was all written in few month.
