In the second part of our Interview with Olayinka Shado, he opens up about his extracurricular activities, and his ability to handle high-pressure situations amongst others.
From navigating law school to overcoming challenges and staying motivated, Olayinka opens up about the lessons learned and the advice they would give to aspiring law students.
Can discuss or tell us about your experience with these extracurricular activities and how they helped in your development?
Oh, beautiful. So, in year three, right, I started hosting events. I wanted to be good in public speaking, right, so I just thought it’s a good way to make some more money for yourself while you’re a graduate.
So, I started hosting events in year three and that helped me to develop my public speaking skill and communication skills, my ability to interact with people, and also, most importantly, my confidence because it takes a lot of confidence to stand in front of hundreds of people and speak to them.
I did that and I can do that right now because of the experience that I had hosting events in my school.
Recently, the last event that I, the last corporate event that I hosted was this year and we had like about 1,000 attendees, right, so that’s something I’m very proud of. I think that that’s a really very amazing experience, something that I always like to speak about.
Other than hosting events, I was also involved in a number of extracurriculars. I was participating in competitions, representing my school in competitions. I already mentioned the one that happened in Abuja, which qualifies me alongside my teammates to represent Nigeria in Kenya.
Last year, I was in Ghana as well, representing my school in a competition as well. I’ve done a number of national debates, research, and essay competitions. I won essay competitions too and that particular one helped me to improve my writing skills, writing and research, and these are really two important skills for every lawyer.
If you’re going to work in a law firm, you need to know how to write and you need to know how to research because that’s like the foundation of what you’ll be doing.
What else? I was also writing for money. I was in freelance writing too at the same time, so it’s just a number of stuff that I was just trying to throw in and I believe these experiences are really shooting me because I consider myself a very versatile person.
If you’re talking about speaking, I can do it. If you’re talking about the writing world, I can do it. If you want someone to host your events, I can do it.
Like I’m talking about even in a law firm now, let’s imagine that they want to host an event in a law firm and they’re looking for somebody amongst the team. I can easily volunteer to do that because I have that experience before and that’s helping to develop a number of skills.
Also, my network. It helped me to build my network also, which is very, very important. I told you that last year I was in Ghana and it was a competition that involved over 16 universities in Africa, right? Or 16 countries in Africa, rather. 16 countries in Africa, with over 60 universities.
So, I networked with a lot of people. So, right now, I have like a good network of friends across the African continent. I have people right now in Ghana, in Burkina Faso, in Cote d’Ivoire, so like all of this stuff helped me to build that network of people.
The internships that I did here in Nigeria to help me meet people in Nigeria helped me to find mentors who are lawyers who would have really helped me in my career journey.
So, I think the blend of all of the things that I did is a very, very unique and nourishing experience for myself. Talk about a top lawyer with a personality.
How did you handle the high-pressure situations? Can you give us an example of that from your academic or personal life?
This will fall back to my discussion of trying to get back to first class because this is the most recent one that was really high-pressure.
Like I said, in my fourth year, I realized I needed all A’s to, you know, get back to first class and then graduate first class.
That means that I needed to do well in every test, every assignment, in every presentation, across four courses, right, four courses, and then my project as well.
So, I think I was able to really break, break it down and not allow the fear of the broader picture to discourage me and really dampen my motivation.
And like, I was just able to focus on each milestone at a time and that helped me to really stay, it helped me to stay focused, it helped me to stay motivated, it helped me to not waver because, because of fear.
So, I think that that was like one major high-pressure situation, that I had to deal with. If I’m to mention another one, it should be maybe the competition in Ghana last year.
So, I wasn’t like, I wasn’t the original representative for my school, but the persons that were supposed to like represent this particular particular competition could not make it.
So, I was like one of the substitutes, which meant that I had just very little time to prepare for an international competition that I was going to represent my school in, in a different country.
So, it was dancing to the fear of I don’t want to slack and I don’t want to fail, I don’t want to do bad, right?
But I think once again, just focusing on the now rather than the broader fear of slacking and the broader fear of not getting it done.
And of course, getting guidance and support from my coach, and from people around me, was one of the things that really helped me to overcome that particular situation.
Wow, that’s, that’s good to hear. So, can you tell us when a particular time your analytical skills as a lawyer were tested, you know, how did you approach it?
My analytical skills, analytical skills. Okay, I think I will go back to one of the competitions that I did. This was in 2022.
It was like a finance, finance slash law competition, right? So, it was organized by the CFA Institute, Chartered Financial Analyst and First Bank in collaboration with First Bank of Nigeria.
So, we had like a case study and we went to analyze that particular case study and identify areas of violations of a particular code, CFA codes.
So, I think at that point, I needed to utilize my ability to, you know, understand information, understand the context, interpret it and like, you know, identify those violations of what I was being asked to look for.
So, I think that that’s a solution. It really, worked out well because we eventually came out as the first runner-up of that particular competition.
It was a national competition involving universities in Nigeria as well. So, we came out first runner up which means that we’re second, right?
So, you know, like in terms of results, I think that’s where I had to like analyze a lot of stuff.
Okay. So, what are you most passionate about and why? What areas of law are you most passionate about and why?
Okay. I think I’m switching towards the finance part of the law, like the nexus of finance and law, like I just mentioned I was in the competition in 2022 and I had to work within that area.
So, I think I really like corporate finance, right? Which was a lot of corporate commercial, but like corporate finance is basically how companies raise money for their businesses.
We’re talking capital markets, we’re talking stock markets, and a lot of that stuff. So, I see myself working in that line or specializing in that line in the product, in the near future, right?
And it was during the lockdown in 2020 that I got exposure to this area because I was taking a lot of courses then and I was just trying to get PC I took a course on corporate finance and I really just loved what it was about.
And I was just thinking about the roles that lawyers would play in corporate finance, you know, transactions and all that.
So, I think corporate finance is an area of law that I see myself. And then tax as well, tax. I was actively involved in tax law in my school. I was the public relations officer and then I became the director of research.
Okay. So, how do you keep up with the latest trends and legal trends, and developments of recent times? Like, how do you keep up with the current trends and developments?
Oh, okay. Wonderful. So, I must confess, I’ve not been good at that before, but now I think I’ve gotten the hang of it, right?
I wasn’t good with it personally because I was in school and all that stuff then. But now, since I graduated in July I’ve had like spare time, so I’ve been doing a lot of stuff.
But to answer your question specifically, I use Google a lot. You know what I’m talking about. Do you want me to explain?
Yeah, explain. I’m sure our audience would like to hear that.
Okay. So, essentially, you go to Google and then you create a customized outlet for yourself, right?
You input specific keywords, which can kind of be like signal areas that are interested in the input box, right?
Then what will happen is that Google collates several news sources and then sends them directly to your inbox every day depending on how you like to set it to be. It could be weekly, it could be monthly. But mine is set for every day.
So, like every day I get news from stuff relating to tax, to energy, because I’m also like interested in energy law, to finance as well. Finance in the UK, because I’m looking to practice in the UK. I’m just trying to keep myself, you know, abreast of news and updates in the UK.
Now, besides Google a lot, I also listen to Financial Times podcasts on Spotify every day. It’s like my morning routine.
So, I wake up in the morning after the cushion and all that stuff. When I’m washing my mouth, I have my Yes Club, you know, and I’m listening to like Financial Times, the podcast talking about news, bringing news from different areas of the world.
That aside, I’m also subscribed to Brutus, so I receive emails from Brutus every day. There are a number of news outlets that I just consume on a daily basis. It’s good to hear you’re keeping up.
Okay, so can you tell us of a time you collaborated on a project or, you know, research paperwork where you brought success, like including a team of people where you brought success to that particular project? I’m not just talking about the competitions, probably something like a moot court or something like that.
If we’re talking moot courts, then we’re also talking competitions because moot courts are competitions, right? But it seems like you don’t want me to mention an experience of my competition.
Yeah, I want to know when you did something that is outside of competition that, you know, probably when you spent a day in or you helped us, you know, to help a problem in your presentation in school, like a team presentation or something like that.
Okay, If we’re talking about that, then institution easily comes to mind.
In my final year, the particular course that I was taking, was International Law. We had to make a presentation, right? I remember I mentioned International Law was like the course that made me into the team that represented my school in Abuja.
So like I was really good in the course and I happened to like be the team lead.
By default, certainly. I was able to work the team through, you know, watching the movies because we had to watch movies, two movies, and yeah, it’s not as interesting as you think.
It does sound interesting but the movie is about war, about the Rwanda genocide and one of those wars like that happened in this thing.
Because like I said, the course was about the law of war, the course of the law of war in international space, right? So we had to watch those movies and specifically identify violations of those laws, like the laws that we have, laws of war.
We had to identify violations of those laws in that particular movie. So that was the task. So like I said, I was a team lead and I put together like a strategy.
I asked everyone to watch the movie and I called for meetings, trying to encourage people.
We spoke about the violations together and then I went forward to putting it in writing because we had to also submit a written presentation as well as an oral presentation.
So I didn’t want everybody to be involved in the writing so it won’t take too much time, right? So like I just asked people to help to identify and to point to, to send to me, like to the group chat.
So myself and Malcolm did the writing. Since like we’re in Rwanda, we didn’t go through the writing. So we did the writing and then we submitted that.
And then at the end of the presentation, I and that same colleague also were chosen to represent the team and then make that presentation.
That was really good. It went really well. I think we had one of the highest scores across and a good number of my teammates eventually had an A in the course because they already had like a group.
So I think that’s like a really good situation.
So I’m wondering what you believe about how ethics play an influential role in law and how has it influenced you personally.
That’s a really good question. So I would say based on the illustration, the example that I gave in respect of how lawyers seem to like go all the way to get something right.
I think that usually happens in the education part of the law, right? It’s more related to the education part of law. But it’s, if I’m to comment on it, I would say it’s more of like a fem culture kind of thing.
If you’re working within a particular firm and they have a culture of integrity, right, they have a culture of integrity, then I believe you would not have to be put in situations where your ethical standards will be compromised.
Now I’m talking about some of the top law firms in Nigeria and top commercial law firms in Nigeria.
They are really big on integrity and all of that stuff. So you will not really see them doing a lot of unethical stuff because they’re concerned about their reputation, right?
A bad reputation is not good for business. So if you find yourself in a firm like that, I don’t think you would really struggle with unethical practices.
Whereas if you don’t find yourself in such like an environment, let’s say if you are working like with a meteor or some other law firm, I think it will be more personal, right?
More of like your standards are maybe what your religious, you know, disposition is towards certain things. But generally, I think it’s really important that law firms and lawyers have integrity.
I think it’s really important that they have integrity because it just engenders trust in the work that you do, that is from clients and from the government regulators as well.
So I believe that law firms and lawyers will, as much as possible, try to limit their involvement in unethical practices for the sake of justice, right?
Thank you. So I want you to, you know, tell us your long-term, and short-term goals and how you plan to achieve them. And then what and how do you balance your professional and personal life?
Okay. To start with the first question, my short-term goal right now is to finish the first class of law school. I was like, that’s, sorry, that’s what it poses to me.
I’m going to law school next year, maybe February, March. So I want to finish the first class of law school, right?
So that’s, I’m giving myself a better opportunity to apply for international scholarships and the roles. And at the same time, you know, to start in a really good law firm here in Nigeria, like, so that’s short term.
If I’m talking long-term, I see myself working in a top law firm in the UK, because that’s one of the things that I really want to do, right? I want to leave this country.
This is between me and you. That aside, I’m like, I have colleagues, male colleagues, like, let’s say role models or mentors that I actually like in the UK working as lawyers.
So it’s a motivation for me and something that I see myself, you know, doing in the long term, right? If we are to talk about it, the second question is about how I balance my professional and personal life.
I mean, like, I think, as you can infer or deduce from our conversation, you know that I’m a very playful kind of person, right? Like, I get serious, and I also know how to, like, play.
So I think I’m versatile. I don’t find it difficult to really, you know, switch between professional and personal because it’s just like a personality thing for me. I like to work hard and I like to play hard, bro. In school, like I said, I was hosting events.
I wasn’t just hosting corporate events. I was also hosting parties, right? So I was live at the party, and you’d also see me, like, at the corporate events, the informal things, and all that. And you also see me, like, wearing jewellery in a non-formal event.
So I think it’s, personally, it’s just a personality thing for me. Like, I just know how to, like, switch between, on the board, between professional and personal. But, of course, there are moments where there’s conflict, right?
Because you have to, you know, devote, there are times where you have to devote, like, a good number of your time towards something. Let’s say I’m in school now. I have to, like, prepare for an exam, but then, like, maybe there are other personal things that I need to attend to2
So, if you surround yourself with friends or people that are like-minded, I don’t think you’ll have much of an issue with this, because if I tell you that I’m preparing for an exam and I cannot come for so-and-so, and you are a person who is also serious, taking that situation, you will understand that, okay, of course, there are times where I need to, you know, just lock in and, like, cut off distractions and all that.
So, I think having a set of friends that are like-minded really helped me to be able to balance personal and professional schoolwork and play because we play together, we work hard together. So, it was just easier for me to balance it.
So, I think it boils down to, like, a personality thing. Not many people might be able to navigate that switch. I don’t know, maybe there are tips and tricks, to be honest. That’s why I say you’re a lawyer with a personality.
Okay, so, I would like you, you know, for your final words, what would you advise our readers and our audience that also want to go into law, what would be your advice to them?
Okay, my advice would be to be a sponge, soaking as much information as you can, and try to do as many things as you can.
Now, I’m speaking based on my own experience now, right, because I was, like, one of those people that work hard, like I’ve said several times.
So, I’m glad that I had a very balanced, a very balanced experience in school. I wasn’t too serious with both. I was serious, right, but, like, I was so playful.
I did a lot of playful stuff and, you know, a lot of non-semi-formal stuff and non-formal stuff. So, my advice would be to try as many things as possible.
Do not limit yourself because you don’t know the extent of your abilities, right? If I had not tried out event hosting, I would not know that I would be good at it, right? If I had not tried out writing, I wouldn’t know that, like, I would be good at it, right.
So, be a sponge, try as much as possible to take in as much information as you can and do as much as you can because it gives you a well-balanced experience.
You can see things from different perspectives, right, that’s a very unique quality that employers would be looking for by the time you get into the labour market. And, of course, stay motivated, you know, really have, like, a mindset of excellence.
It could be an ego thing for you to know how to manage your ego at some point in time, right, but, like, just have, like, a mindset of, like, really want to, I don’t want, I want to be in the discussion, right.
Like, I want to be, I want my name to be mentioned when they’re talking about, like, people that didn’t do great things and all that stuff. So, that would just be my final advice.
