ASABA, DELTA STATE — The future of the legal profession depends on lawyers evolving from technical counsel to strategic business leaders, according to Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Paul Harris Ogbole, who delivered the keynote address at the 2025 NBA Asaba Branch Law Week Dinner. Speaking on the theme, “Strategic Lawyering: The Business Behind the Brief,” Ogbole, SAN, issued a generational mandate for lawyers to transform their practices into competitive, resilient legal enterprises.
Ogbole, SAN, addressed a distinguished audience of Bench and Bar members, emphasizing that legal brilliance alone is no longer sufficient in the 21st-century global economy. His topic, “From Counsel to CEO: Empowering Lawyers as Business Leaders,” centered on the imperative shift from focusing solely on winning a case to sustaining a profitable legal institution.
The Existential Threat: Why Legal Practice Must Change
The speaker detailed the critical factors driving the need for this transformation:
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Technology Disruption: Ogbole, SAN, noted that the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), contract automation, and data analytics is absorbing routine legal tasks, reducing the value of traditional, manual practice. “Technology does not eliminate the need for legal expertise; it reduces the value of routine tasks and places greater emphasis on strategic thinking,” he stated.
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Globally Competitive Market: Legal practice has moved from a purely intellectual endeavor to a globally competitive enterprise. Clients now source legal services across jurisdictions, demanding capacity, innovation, and measurable commercial value.
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Client Demand Shift: Modern clients are sophisticated and cost-conscious, demanding commercially aligned strategies rather than mere legal opinions. The central question has changed from “What does the law say?” to “What should we do to achieve our business objectives lawfully?”
The Dual Role: Lawyer as Strategic CEO
Ogbole highlighted that a lawyer’s training provides unique advantages in executive leadership, making the transition from “Counsel in Court” to “CEO in Enterprise” a natural evolution:
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Risk Management and Compliance: Legal training instills an instinctive foresight for regulatory pitfalls and risk mitigation, critical for protecting corporate value in heavily regulated sectors like finance and technology.
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Negotiation and Conflict Resolution: Lawyers are natural conflict solvers, bringing objectivity and persuasion to transactions, mergers, and stakeholder engagements.
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Ethical Governance: A legal background mandates integrity, transparency, and respect for due process, fostering an ethical business culture essential for long-term institutional credibility.
A Call to Leadership and Legacy
The SAN concluded with a powerful call to action, urging colleagues to embrace commercial efficiency, financial literacy, and technology adoption. He stressed that leadership is not about the brilliance of one principal, but about building institutions—transitioning from sole proprietorships to modern partnerships (LLPs) and focusing on succession planning.
“The lawyer of yesterday argued matters; today’s lawyer architects solutions. The lawyer of yesterday advised on what the law is; today’s lawyer guides what is legally viable, commercially sensible, technologically sound, and institutionally sustainable,” Ogbole concluded. “The time has come for counsel to become CEO.”
The speech was hailed as a critical blueprint for the future relevance of the Nigerian Bar in a rapidly changing global economy.
Find Attached:
Paul Harris Ogbole SAN Challenges Lawyers to Embrace Business Leadership at NBA Asaba Law Week
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