Commercial law firm Streamsowers & Köhn has launched a moot court competition to mark its 20th anniversary and invest in developing the next generation of legal practitioners. Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, claimed the overall prize at the grand finale held recently at the MUSON Centre in Lagos.
The competition drew top five law faculties selected from submissions received across Nigeria's six geopolitical zones. After a rigorous written stage, Obafemi Awolowo University and Bayero University Kano progressed to the final oral advocacy round, where they argued a mock case before a panel of judges.
Ase Hephzibah, the lead counsel for the winning institution, was named Best Advocate of the competition. Other finalists included the University of Abuja, the University of Lagos and the University of Calabar.
Chief Operating Officer Modupeola Olusoga said the firm designed the competition as a corporate social responsibility project that would create lasting impact rather than limit anniversary celebrations to social events. "When we started planning the 20th anniversary, there were questions around, aside from coming together to celebrate, what can we do to give back to society as part of our CSR," she told reporters.
Olusoga explained that one of the firm's partners recalled the original vision when Streamsowers & Köhn was established. "When the firm started, the vision was never about passing it on to their children," she said.
"It was about creating a firm where people can come in, learn, grow through the ranks and make a difference in the legal profession and even the world."
The firm wanted to create a platform where students could showcase their learning and experience something that mirrors actual court proceedings. "Students participate in moot courts in their universities, but this is often different from what happens in actual courtrooms," Olusoga noted.
More than 30 universities received invitations to participate in the competition. In the end, 17 institutions submitted memorials, which independent assessors screened before selecting five finalists.
"We did extensive planning and engaged independent assessors," Olusoga said. "About 32 schools were contacted, 17 responded and submitted memorials.
From those submissions, five finalists emerged and today the top two competed in the oral advocacy round."
She emphasized that the initiative aimed to equip aspiring lawyers with confidence in their abilities. "It is really about equipping the next generation of lawyers and reminding them that they have the competence, the skills and the opportunity to excel irrespective of where they come from," she added.
Olusoga praised the standard displayed by participants, saying the competition reinforced her confidence in the future of Nigeria's legal profession. "It was a thing of pride for me.
I was smiling throughout because I could see the depth of knowledge, the capability and the capacity these students possess," she said.
The COO noted that undergraduates conducted extensive research, presented confidently and responded intelligently to challenging questions from the judges. "They didn't give shallow answers; they gave thoughtful responses," she concluded.
