Wale Adeagbo Legal

08/02/2026

BILLING CLIENTS AS A YOUNG LAWYER

Billing is not only about money, it is also about confidence and professional boundaries.

Start with consultation
Consultation is a service, not a favour. It is a legal work. It involves your time and efforts at the very least.
You can offer a free initial consultation (5–10 minutes) for screening; or charge a consultation fee outrightly.
This helps you to filter unserious clients and prevents endless unpaid advisory.

Never give detailed legal solutions without consultation except it is free.

Carpet Pricing
Before speaking with any client, know your minimum acceptable fee for each service. You can negotiate above it, never below it. Carpet pricing protects you from emotional billing and desperation discounts.

Consultation is not Ex*****on
Separate consultation from ex*****on. Make it clear to clients that consultation covers review and advice while ex*****on attracts a separate professional fee.

“The consultation covers legal advice. Drafting and serving the letter will attract an additional ₦100,000.”
This avoids confusion.

Invoicing
Always send an invoice. Serious lawyers bill in writing. After consultation, send a formal invoice/fee note or a simple engagement letter. Once fees are documented, negotiation becomes professional and not personal.

Be Transparent
Instead of “My fee is ₦300,000.” Say 50k = Consultation & review; 25k = Statutory payments
75k = Filing; 150k Professional fees.

State your fee calmly
After stating your fee, take a pause.
Do not over-explain, or try to defend your pricing

Be willing to walk away
This is where many young lawyers fail.
If a client haggles disrespectfully especially those that keeps saying “another lawyer will do it cheaper”
Smile and tell them they can explore other options. Be ready to leave without a deal. The moment a client senses desperation, your value drops.

Free/Goodwill work
Free consultations or free works are inescapable. You just have to control them and make them rare. Consider your time, effort, skill and the level of responsibility needed to carry out the task.

Extras
1. The billing for an individual should be distinct from that of a group of individuals and that of companies/corporate bodies.
2. There is no crime in updating and upgrading your fees.
3. If you are confused, follow the NBA Remuneration Order of 2023.
3. As a young lawyer, you may not charge like a Senior Advocate but you must bill like a professional. Price with sense and bill with structure. Never be afraid to walk away.

My two cents.

LitGeng™️ 🚀

08/02/2026

Do well to visit www.waleadeagbolegal.com

07/02/2026

GETTING YOUR FIRST CLIENTS: Client acquisition tips for Law Graduates and young Lawyers.

NB: Above all the points, there is the God's factor.
This is for both the NEPOs who briefs are waiting for them and those who are working deliberately to put themselves where legal problems already exist OR will likely sprout.

1. Your immediate sphere

Your first clients will come from people who already know or trust you, not strangers. Let everyone around you know you’re a lawyer: friends, church/mosque members, family, course mates, NYSC colleagues, neighbours. Don't be scared to introduce yourself to your neighbours or those you play football with during weekends. Say it confidently: “I’m a lawyer now. I handle xyz.”

2. Use NYSC strategically (if you’re serving or recently served)

NYSC is a goldmine if you’re intentional. I actually helped my fellow corps members with: Rental agreements, Business name registration and Affidavits while I was serving in Minna. I was kind of too playful and 'troublesome' for anyone not to know me in Chanchaga that year.

Build relationships with the LGA staff, court registrars, Police officers (for proper, ethical work only). Volunteer to assist with legal documentation at CDS projects. At least 2 of my CDS members, we've co-handled matters.

3. Pick 2–3 practice areas
I agree that you are trained to do everything a lawyer can do. But between you and I, we know you can't do everything. The fact that you are a LitGeng does not mean you cannot handle CAC registrations.

4. Be visible online
There is a caveat here, be visible online, but with moderation. Don't trend for negative things. Not everybody will be a 'legal influencer'. Just be present.

WhatsApp status: share simple legal tips
“Did you know a rent increase without notice is illegal?”
As far as some Clients hire the “best” lawyer, most clients hire the lawyer they remember.

5. Build referral relationships (this is huge)
Some people meet clients before lawyers do.
Actively connect with: Real estate agents, Business consultants, Accountants, HR professionals, Freelancers and SMEs.

Offer value first. Draft contracts for them at a fair rate
Give free legal checks for their businesses.

6. Price realistically, not emotionally
Underpricing kills respect; overpricing kills opportunities. Don't be greedy. Charge modestly but confidently. Always explain what your fee covers.

Avoid “free work” except for initial consultations (in few occasions) and strategic goodwill situations

7. Learn to close and convert, not just advise
Many young lawyers talk way too much and don’t convert. When someone brings a problem: Listen; explain the risk(s) clearly; offer a specific solution; state your fee calmly.

“I can draft the letter and get it served within 24 hours. My fee is ₦100,000.”

8. Work with seniors.
Seniors have experience and they can share insights. So, learn from them but always keep your own contacts. Ask for permission to bring in personal clients. Negotiate referral percentages clearly. Some senior lawyers respect initiative and unfortunately, some don't.

9. Reputation
Reputation travels fast. Your first 10 clients matter more than your first 100. Be punctual, follow up aggressively, keep clients informed, don’t promise what you can’t deliver. One satisfied client can bring five more.

10. Think long-term and don't be desperate
The first year is about learning, visibility, trust, etc. You will definitely have your share of 'lesson' or 'learning' moments but stay consistent and face front. Money grows with consistency, not panic.

LitGeng™️
🚀

07/02/2026

CLIENT RETENTION 101 for LitGeng

You will really forgive me early for the fact that this aspect I will be talking about is mostly personal and huge chunk of it is derived from the litigation side of things but it will be helpful.

Client acquisition is not that hard but keeping them requires hard tasks.
You need to understand that disputes are emotional by nature. As a LitGeng, most of the time, clients come to you when something has already gone wrong. They’re frustrated already and often unfamiliar with how unpredictable the process can be. In that situation, your legal skill alone is not enough.

Most clients can’t judge the quality of your pleadings or trial management strategy. What they do judge is how you make them feel while their dispute is unfolding.

Now walk with me as I direct you to some points useful for client retention.

No Silence Treatment
Silence in litigation is very dangerous. When there’s no update, you have given the clients an avenue to assume the worst. I’ve learned that regular communication even when we’re waiting on either the court or opposing counsel to take an action creates some sort of stability. A short message explaining why nothing has moved can calm weeks of anxiety.

Bad news is part of our practice
As a LitGeng, you will surely have your share of the ‘bad days’ when you will say “We are most grateful MiLord” and you don’t actually mean it. Bad news is part of Litigation practice but surprise bad news is what damages trust. When clients understand the risks early, they’re far more prepared when those things happen. Litigation outcomes sting less when they’re not unexpected.

Timelines
What feels routine to a LitGeng can feel endless to a client. Explaining the exercise of litigation upfront like what takes time, what causes delays, what trial day looks/feels like prevents frustration later.

Responsiveness
· In high-pressure disputes, clients remember who returned their calls, who explained things clearly, and who didn’t disappear when the case became difficult.

· I also learned that being a good LitGeng doesn’t stop at the file. I celebrate my clients. I acknowledge their birthdays and the incorporation dates of their companies. I send a message at the start of a new month. I show up for key moments in their lives when I can. These gestures don’t replace legal work, they put human face to the relationship.

· Litigation clients need to know they are more than a case number. Being visible and consistently engaged, especially outside moments of crisis builds a level of trust that no victory alone can create.

Genuine gratitude
When a client pays, don’t treat it as routine. See it as a reaffirmation of trust. Acknowledging that professionally and genuinely is part of the relationship. Clients should feel appreciated, not processed.

Expectations
Setting expectations early has been foundational for my practice. Clients don’t need promises, they need REALISTIC Outcomes. They need honesty delivered with structure and confidence.

Extras
1. Even if you and your clients know you have a bad case, it does not mean you should write it all over you when you enter court.
You must be a hotspot of confidence to your client up to your looks. In litigation, your composure is part of the strategy to exhibiting confidence. ‘Lawyer yen gbona gan’ if a client says that, it’s because of confidence.
2. There is one habit I learn from many of my Ogas, they communicate before the client asks. They anticipate concerns. They reduce uncertainty before it turns into doubt.
3. An informed client feels in control. A client who feels in control trusts you during the dispute and long after it’s resolved.
4. Maintain steeze, clients should not be disappointed especially in their positive perception of you before you meet them and then meeting, you are far below the steeze they expected.

NB: Steeze can neither be created nor destroyed, if e no dey, e no dey.

My two cents for young lawyers who are LitGeng.

22/10/2025

Our Principal Counsel facilitated one of the sessions at the ongoing Virtual Internship Program . Find below major highlights.

21/10/2025

THE FUTURE OF LITIGATION IN NIGERIA

Without the understanding of the past and the present realities of our Litigation atmosphere, any attempt to analyze the future will be totally incomplete. The Institutions and the Litigation Players (major components of Litigation) have their background history. While the Litigation institutions predate the 1960 era, the history of the home-trained Legal practitioners is as old as the independence of Nigeria.

The Litigation Institutions:

We have the Supreme Court of Nigeria, the Court of Appeal, Federal High Court, the National Industrial Court, the various State High Courts, the state based courts (Sharia Court of Appeal and Customary Court of Appeal) as courts of record while Magistrates/District Courts etc are the inferior courts.

The Litigation Players:

To be fair in my statistics, since 2010, the number of young wigs who are sincerely willing to and are heartily married to Litigation practice has maintained a constant decline year-in year-out. New areas of practice keep emerging and young wigs easily find them adaptive. Other reasons are obvious.

The truth of the reality now is that in spite of the waning numbers of young wigs, the minute number who remain glued to Litigation practice will hugely benefit therefrom in years to come. We live in a world where legal conflicts can never end. Fintechs are executing all the agreements, Real Estate biggies are closing the deals, certainly, issues will pop out. If it goes to court, only those who remain will solidly engineer the litigation.

The Future:

1. There will be more specific courts e.g. Courts that handle tech-related issues.

2. There will be more specialized litigation practitioners e.g Consumer Protection, tax, data protection, fashion law etc

3. Conferring SAN on practitioners will have additional basis other than Litigation and Academics.

4. Virtual Hearing will be purely virtual and not a partial one where Lawyers would still be required to be in Court.

5. Certain suits will no longer freak persons to file e.g. Fundamental rights and land matters.

Take Home:

Apart from life and death, in Nigeria, COMPANIES will continue to exist, TAX will never die, BANKS will remain, CONSUMERS and DATA PROTECTION will stay, and there will always be ELECTIONS because they are all constant. Young Lawyers take note.

We shall meet at the top.
🚀

14/07/2025

Registration link to LitGeng Masterclass 1.0 on PRE-ACTION NOTICES and DEMAND LETTERS. Be there.

https://forms.gle/ofvzZ3hBTQPSWaBx6

29/05/2025

LITIGASHIP MONTHLY DIGEST
Volume 5.3 of 2025

Abdulrahman v State

Once an objection regarding the voluntariness of a confessional statement is raised, a trial court does not have any discretion or choice but to conduct a trial within trial.

SULEIMAN ABDULRAHAM v. THE STATE CA/MK/CV/16C/2020 Delivered on the 10th of May 2024. Coram: Cordelia Ifeoma Jombo-Ofo, JCA; Ibrahim Wakili Jauro, JCA; and Biobele A. Georgewi

31/03/2025

Litigaship Monthly Digest Vol 3 of 2025

Document rejected can be re-tendered.

DIVERSE ASSETS MANAGEMENT LTD & Ors v. WEMA BANK PLCSC/8/2007. CASE SUMMARY Delivered on 17th February, 2023. Coram: John Inyang Okoro, JSC (Presided); Amina Adamu Augie, JSC; H.M

30/03/2025

04/03/2025

Litigaship Monthly Digest volume 2.1. 2025

The case summary of CBN v INALEGWU

CASE SUMMARY CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA v. INALEGWU FRANKLINE OCHIFE & 3 ORS SC/CV/268/2021 Delivered on the 24th day of January, 2025. Coram: John Inyang Okoro, JSC; Helen Morenikej