A partner at the Wole Olanipekun Law Firm, President of the Body of Benchers, has announced her decision to temporarily leave the law practice following an allegation of professional misconduct against her.
The attorney, Adekunbi Ogunde, said in a statement Wednesday that she would be taking a leave of absence from law practice.
The announcement came less than two weeks after the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) asked the Legal Professionals Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) to sanction it.
Ms Ogunde, who said she would return to practicing law after some time, noted that she decided to take a leave of absence after consultation “with my family and the firm, and after a thorough and thorough examination of all facets of this hydra – head problem.
He highlighted three things he would do, including taking a leave of absence:
“I will take a leave of absence from legal practice and engage in pro bono community and social work, with some selected NGOs,” he said.
Ms. Ogunde also said that she would take “the necessary courses to better prepare myself to deal with professional and life problems”, adding that she would “return to legal practice after a while”.
He also said that he would later “return to legal practice after some time, in consultation with my parents, senior colleagues and supporters.”
Allegation
Ms. Ogunde was accused of requesting reports on behalf of Mr. Olanipekun’s law firm in violation of the rules of professional conduct for lawyers.
She was accused of requesting the brief from Saipem Contracting Nigeria Limited, a company that is already being defended in the same lawsuit by Odein Ajumogobia, a leading Nigerian lawyer.
In her leaked letter to Sapiem, Ms. Ogunde assured the firm of a legal victory by citing Mr. Olanipekun’s influence in the judiciary.
She said the presence of Mr. Olanipekun, also a SAN, in the case “will significantly change things in favor” of Sapiem.
But Ms Ogunde later apologized for her action, saying she wrote the letter without the knowledge of her law firm or the knowledge of Mr Olanipekun.
The NBA subsequently asked the LPDC to ask the agency to sanction Ms. Ogunde. The NBA also wrote to Mr. Olanipekun, asking him to step down as BoB president by virtue of his association with Ms. Ogunde.
Regrets
In her statement on Wednesday, Ms. Ogunde lamented how the matter “has now become quite complicated and has not only affected me psychologically but also Wole Olanipekun & Co. and my family.”
“It has generated bad blood and, to my great sorrow, completely embarrassed the founding partner of the firm, the innocent and dignified head Wole Olanipekun SAN, OFR and everyone else at the firm,” the attorney added.
Mr. Olanipekun, former president of the NBA, has expressed his dissatisfaction with the actions taken by the association in relation to the matter.
In a veiled reference to the NBA action on July 27, Mr. Olanipekun said that the LPDC, as an independent agency of the BOB, is not an avenue for dealing with perceived enemies or airing complaints against fellow attorneys about personal matters. .
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the NBA in a petition asked the Legal Professionals Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) to sanction Ms. Ogunde while asking Mr. Olanipekun to step down from directing the Judge Corps to allow impartial investigations into the matter.
Another group of senior lawyers, the Justice Reform Project, sided with the NBA in urging Olanipekun to resign from the BOB.
Ms. Ogunde’s father, Wemimo Ogunde, who is a Senior Attorney in Nigeria, resigned his JRP membership on moral grounds.
She said that she needed to leave the group to focus on defending her daughter in the LPDC.