The Babalola’s Law Dictionary Quiz Competition for Young Lawyers was introduced “to inspire young lawyers to read”, the founder Mr Olumide Babalola has said.
The competition, in its second edition, is open to lawyers between zero to five years at the Bar.
It is based on The Babalola’s Law Dictionary of over 2000 judicially defined words and phrases, authored by Babalola.
“By institutionalising this annual competition, we seek to deepen the knowledge, study and discourse of legal terminologies among young lawyers, serve as another platform for continuing legal education, and reward the study and improved knowledge of legal terminologies among young lawyers.
“We also seek to serve as an avenue to encourage and improve the welfare of young lawyers especially by the prizes to be won and potential career opportunities open to successful participants,” he said.
At a briefing in Lagos on this year’s edition, Babalola said the qualifying rounds will hold in March, to be followed by the grand finale on June 7 in Lagos.
Ten finalists will contest for N250,000/electronic law report, N150,000 and N100,000 as first, second and third prizes, and there will be consolation prizes.
“Young lawyers have been neglected for a while. All we do is just talk, no action. So, I decided to set up a competition through which young lawyers will be inspired to read,” he said.
Besides, it is an avenue through which senior lawyers can empower their younger colleagues through the competition’s sponsorship, the lawyer added.
“Hopefully in the third edition we’ll begin to increase the prizes. It’s a journey. This is what the public needs to support,” he said.
Entries, which opened January 1, will end on February 28 and can be submitted through bldcompetition.com.
Temidayo Adewoye of Perchstone & Graeys won the first edition last June.
Babalola, author of three law books, is the Managing Partner at Olumide Babalola LP and is renowned for his public interest litigations.