JASAN FOUNDATION #TheLegacyDialogue2.0 COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE END OF THE LEGACY DIALOGUE 2.0 ORGANISED BY THE JOHNNY AGIM, SAN FOUNDATION [JASAN FOUNDATION] ON FRIDAY, 24TH OCTOBER 2025 AND HELD AT THE SHEHU MUSA YAR’ADUA CENTRE, #1 MEMORIAL DRIVE, CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT [CBD], ABUJA, FCT – Nigeria.

JASAN FOUNDATION | #THELEGACYDIALOGUE2.0

COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE END OF THE LEGACY DIALOGUE 2.0 ORGANISED BY THE 

JOHNNY AGIM, SAN FOUNDATION [JASAN FOUNDATION] ON FRIDAY, 24TH OCTOBER 2025

AND HELD AT THE SHEHU MUSA YAR’ADUA CENTRE, #1 MEMORIAL DRIVE, CENTRAL 

BUSINESS DISTRICT [CBD], ABUJA, FCT – NIGERIA

1. INTRODUCTION 

The 2nd edition of the Legacy Dialogue, tagged #TheLegacyDialogue2.0, by the Johnny Agim, SAN 

Foundation [“JASAN Foundation”] with the theme “Institutionalisation of Mentorship in the 

Legal Profession: A Strategic Blueprint for Professional Development”, was held on the 24th of 

October 2025, at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory [FCT], Nigeria. 

The event brought together jurists, private and public sector leaders, leaders of the Bar, the Bench, 

academia, young lawyers, and students alike to address key issues surrounding the development of 

the legal profession, as well as embedding and institutionalising mentorship as a sustainable pillar of 

professional development. 

In summary, TheLegacyDialogue2.0 convened diverse voices from the Bench, Bar, Academia, and 

emerging leadership to examine the policies, practices, and cultural shifts required to make mentorship 

a systemic reality rather than a voluntary initiative. 

 

2. THE PANEL, PARTICIPANTS & THEMATICS

The programme of event amongst others included, the President’s Address by Mr. Johnny Agim, SAN, the 

Founder of JASAN Foundation, a Keynote Address by Hon. Mr. Justice Ejembi Eko, JSC [Rtd.] represented 

by, Hon. Justice Mabel T. Segun-Bello [Judge of Federal High Court] as well as a Panel Discussion which 

featured, Hon. Justice Mabel T. Segun-Bello herself, Prof. Isa Hayatu Chiroma, SAN [Director-General, 

Nigerian Law School] represented by Dr. Esa Onoja [Deputy Director, Academics – Nigerian Law School, 

Bwari-Abuja Campus], Dr. Kayode Ajulo, OON, SAN, FCIArb [UK], Attorney-General, Ondo State, who is 

the Chairman, NBA Mentorship Committee; and Mrs. Prisca N. Udoka, SAN Founder/Principal Partner, 

Perazim Law Partners. The Panel was adroitly moderated by Mr. Isaiah Bozimo, SAN, CIArb., [Partner, 

Broderick Bozimo & Company]. 

The thematics of the Dialogue included the following: 

a) Policy and Framework Design: Establishing clear mentorship policies adaptable across legal 

institutions and jurisdictions.

b) Mentor Development and Accreditation: Preparing senior professionals with the pedagogical and 

ethical skills required for effective guidance.

c) Structured Matching and Performance Evaluation: Implementing data-driven systems to pair 

mentors and mentees and to assess developmental outcomes.

d) Integration with Continuing Legal Education (CLE): Aligning mentorship milestones with 

professional certification and career advancement pathways.

e) Technology and Institutional Support: Deploying digital platforms and institutional oversight to 

ensure accountability and scalability.

The Panel and participants underscored the critical point that mentorship must transcend voluntarism to 

become a deliberate institutional function, central to the professional development agenda of the NBA,

tertiary institutions, the Nigerian Law School, and law firms. Emphasising that institutionalising mentorship 

will not only enhance competence and ethics but will also cultivate leadership, inclusivity, and innovation 

across the legal sector. It explored how structured mentorship can be institutionalised within the legal 

profession as a deliberate strategy for sustainable professional growth, ethical excellence, and 

intergenerational continuity.

3. OBSERVATIONS

#TheLegacyDialogue 2.0 observed the following:

3.1 The growing concern, as expressed by the Chief Justice of Nigeria [CJN] and senior members of the

Bar, over the declining ethical and professional standards within the legal profession, as well as the fact

that structured, institutionalised mentorship is a practical and sustainable response to these challenges.

3.2 Mentorship is fundamental to sustaining excellence and integrity in the legal profession. Yet, mentorship

remains informal, inconsistent, and dependent on personal relationships rather than institutional

commitment. This policy brief proposes a structured, institutionalised mentorship model that embeds

professional guidance into the legal ecosystem as a mandatory and measurable element of career

development.

3.3 Mentorship is very essential in the legal profession as the mentee is shown a clearer pathway towards

fulfilling his ambition, such as the necessary pitfalls to avoid and invaluable advice given to him by his

mentor who, by virtue of experience, is better grounded and equipped than himself - in the knowledge,

practice, art, and business of the law. This mentoring also helps to instill the much-needed values in the

legal profession, thereby preserving the tradition of the legal profession.

3.4 That structured mentorship is critical for professional growth, ethical grounding, and succession

planning.

3.5 That the Bench, Bar, the Academia, and Law Firm Founders each play a unique role in institutionalising

mentorship.

3.6 That the Nigerian Bar Association [NBA], the Body of Benchers [BoB] and the Council of Legal Education

[CLE]/Nigerian Law School [NLS] must drive sustainable mentorship frameworks.

3.7 That young legal practitioners need accessible, transparent, and practical mentorship channels and

platforms like the JASAN Foundation #Legacy500 Elite Mentorship Programme.

4. KEY RESOLUTIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS

4.1. Commitment to Mentorship: - JASAN Foundation reaffirms its commitment to strategically and

deliberately promote and enhance mentorship within the legal profession through its Mentorship,

Sponsorship, Reforms & Advocacy Blueprint [MSRA Blueprint] and the #Legacy500 Elite

Mentorship Programme/Platform, a first of its kind in Nigeria to connect young lawyers to mentors

in order to foster professional career development; and excellence among young lawyers.

4.2 Institutional Framework: A formal mentorship structure should be embedded within the Nigerian

Bar Association [NBA], its Sections and Fora. That the NBA Secretariat and Mentorship Committee

finalise and publish an NBA Mentorship Charter with clear branch-level reporting and evaluation

standards.

4.3 Judicial Support: Judges and senior members of the Bench should continue to integrate enhanced

and structured mentorship into judicial activities and training programmes.

4.4 Law School Integration: The Body of Benchers [BoB] and Council of Legal Education [CLE] should

incorporate mentorship schemes into the academic framework of the Nigerian Law School [NLS].

That the Council of Legal Education and the Nigerian Law School embed a Mentorship Pipeline

Programme pairing each Bar Part II student with an approved practitioner and branch mentor prior

to Call-to-Bar, with the relationship continuing for at least twelve months afterwards. The activities

around this scheme could be verified through the JASAN Foundation #Legacy500 Elite Mentorship

Digital Platform and credited under the NBA ICLE with allocated Credit points. Pilot cohorts can commence by January 2026.

4.5 Inclusivity & Access: Mentorship opportunities should be inclusive, with deliberate consideration

for young lawyers, women, and underrepresented groups.

4.6 Law Firms/Founders Support: That law firms and founders adopt a Model Firm Mentorship Policy

integrated with the JASAN Foundation #Legacy500 Elite Mentorship Programme and Digital

Platform workflow.

4.7 Technology-Driven Platforms: Virtual and digital platforms should be developed to facilitate wider

mentorship access and participation. JASAN Foundation is committed to filling this gap by deploying

the JASAN Foundation #Legacy500 Elite Mentorship Programme Digital Platform.

4.8 Monitoring & Evaluation: A system of accountability should be put in place to ensure mentorship

programmes are impactful, measurable, safe, and secure. JASAN Foundation is committed to filling

this gap by deploying the JASAN Foundation #Legacy500 Elite Mentorship Programme Digital

Platform through strategic collaborations.

4.9 Oversight: That a National Mentorship Oversight Committee be established by the relevant

stakeholders to guarantee equity and access and to monitor progress through a systemic and

seasonal parity dashboard. That the Body of Benchers [BoB], working with the NBA, and Heads of

Courts, develop a Bench–Bar Mentorship Cooperation & Strategic Framework to strengthen ethical

and procedural standards. The Strategic Framework should define the safe scope of judicial

participation in mentorship (ethics, decorum and procedure only); preserve judicial independence;

and provide for anonymised scheduled feedback to branches through the NBA. Pilot sessions could

be convened within three judicial divisions by Q2/Q3 2026. JASAN Foundation is committed to filling

this gap by deploying its strategic team as well as the JASAN Foundation #Legacy500 Elite

Mentorship Programme Digital Platform through strategic collaborations.

5 CONCLUSION

The Legacy Dialogue 2.0 highlighted the critical role of strategic institutionalised mentorship in shaping

a resilient and successful legal profession. By implementing these resolutions, we can ensure a robust

future for young lawyers equipped with the necessary skills and insights to thrive in an ever-changing

legal environment and becoming institutions of their own.

#TheLegacyDialogue2.0 also reaffirmed that mentorship is essential for building a legacy-driven legal

profession in Nigeria. It called on all stakeholders—Bar, Bench, Academia, and practitioners—to

collaborate in institutionalising mentorship as a sustainable professional development model.

In view of the foregoing, JASAN Foundation therefore calls on the judiciary, the academia, legal

professionals and all stakeholders in the legal profession, especially senior lawyers, as well as the

legacy and established law firms to make a commitment to and collectively promote excellence through

structured and institutionalised mentorship; while young lawyers are called upon to actively seek out

mentors to guide their career development.

The Nigerian Bar Association [NBA] is also urged to take deliberate steps to collaborate with the JASAN

Foundation and other stakeholders to promote and execute structured mentorship programmes for

ongoing professional development to ensure holistic development for young lawyers, and drive positive

change in the legal profession.

JASAN Foundation therefore invites the Bench, the Bar, the Council of Legal Education, and law-firm

leaders to consider these recommendations for implementation within their respective mandates before

the close of 2026.

This is #TheLegacyDialogue 2.0

JASAN Foundation – Making History … Framing the Future!

Thank you.

 Mr. Johnny Agim, SAN

 PRESIDENT. 

Sen. Kanu G. Agabi, SAN, CON

 CHAIRMAN, BOARD OF TRUSTEES

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