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I studied Law at the University of Exeter, United Kingdom. It was a great experience primarily because I spent the first two years of my studies at the Cornwall Campus in the South of England and my house was a stone throw away from the beach. If you must know one thing about me, being by the beach is my most favorite thing to do as I feel most at peace. The sound of the waves, the waves brushing against my feet, it is very centering. It was also a time of discovery of self as I learned how to play the guitar, I started blogging and writing articles for Bella Naija, Thought Catalog and other notable websites, and I also delved into spoken word poetry. Indeed, it was a journey into exploring the creative side of myself and looking back, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
I have always been a creative. I used to act in school stage plays ever since I was 5 years old and continued all through secondary school right up through to my A-Levels. I have always enjoyed bringing joy to people’s faces by becoming a different character on stage. This, alongside writing scripts, choreographing dance routines have all been part of my journey. In my first year of University, I was fortunate to work within the Radio and TV industry in Nigeria and I met a mentor then who encouraged me to consider Entertainment Law as a career due to the dearth of lawyers within the Industry that truly understood the issues faced by creatives and as a result were not able to adequately advise them. From then on, I was sold. My focus thereafter was on developing my knowledge in Intellectual Property Law and advising the World’s creatives.
Generally, Law is a very demanding profession. Demanding because we work in a service industry and must always make ourselves available to our clients. Over the years, I have mastered the art of working under pressure, balancing competing deadlines whilst also delivering high quality work. As an Entertainment Lawyer the biggest issue I face is convincing creatives to pay commensurately for the provision of our services. This is indeed one of the greatest challenges.
One of the most notable work I have done as an Entertainment Lawyer is assisting a client terminate a music distribution deal with one of the majors that went south. There is nothing worse for a creative than signing an agreement that is prejudicial to his or her interest either because the document was not reviewed by a lawyer or if so by a skilled entertainment lawyer.
Juggling the various facets of my life is a tough balancing act, but I make use of my weekends as much as I can and take advantage of less busy periods at work to invest in myself and my passions. As I mentioned earlier, I have always acted throughout my childhood. However, since returning to Nigeria as an adult and engaging with creatives within the Entertainment Industry, I was lucky enough to make good friends within the space who let me know if a new project is coming up. Hence how I got involved in “Fine Wine.”
Beyond my law degree, I will describe myself as creative , effervescent and the life of the party.
When asked whether I prefer being an actor to a lawyer, it’s hard to choose. Both roles offer different things. As an actor I get to exercise my creative muscles, making choices on set that stay true to my character. It takes a lot of physical stamina, dedication, and tenacity to be an actor. On the other hand, as a lawyer, I challenge myself intellectually and also creatively, coming up with creative solutions to my client’s problems. They are both part of who I am.
My advice for people who want to practice law and still follow their passion outside of law is invest in your Law career first because it will take a lot of time and energy out of you. Once you have found your footing and you have more command over your daily tasks, you can then choose to re-invest yourself in your creative passions. If it is possible to get a partner on board, please do, because you will not be able to completely invest all of your time on your passions whilst simultaneously serving your clients. I would also advise that you make use of down time at work and your weekends as best as you can.
