My Templars Experience by Godswill Ogbewe

Templars is a proud supporter and partner of the Nigerian Higher Education Foundation (NHEF) and we are pleased to see some of its great work already yielding results.

MY TEMPLARS EXPERIENCE by Godswill Ogbewe

My experience interning at Templars, though difficult to describe with words was nothing short of amazing. In narrating this experience, it is important to begin where it all started. The road to interning at Templars began with the Foundation called the Nigeria Higher Education Foundation (NHEF). The NHEF is a body dedicated to strengthening Nigerian higher education by collaborating with Nigerian universities to provide local and global resources to develop, sustain and advance the skills and leadership of young Nigerian scholars.

This is achieved by conducting a rigorous selection process at the end of which fifty scholars are drawn from across several Nigerian Universities to partake in an Orientation program where they are equipped with the skills and resources that are necessary to competing in the 21st century workspace. The scholars of the program enjoy the opportunity to intern with Partner firms of the foundation amongst other benefits.

I had the opportunity of being a part of this experience after which I was offered an internship opportunity at Templars, the law firm I will come to know as the ideal place to work. At the start of my internship, I could not help but be amazed at the level of engagement at the law firm.

My experience at Templars left me wanting to stay just a little longer as my internship approached its end. The life defining experience was all thanks to its people who made the workplace as welcoming as possible. I found myself constantly trying to measure up to the bar which was set high as I worked across the Dispute, Finance, corporate and commercial and Energy and Natural resources practice groups.

During the course of my internship, I worked with the associates, senior associates and partners across the four practice groups both directly and indirectly. Working in Templars enabled me to better understand the importance of teamwork in the overall success of large practice. It was fascinating to observe how during update meetings, brilliant minds across different practice areas however distinct, worked together for the actualization of a common goal. This confirmed the saying that teamwork really does makes the dream work.

Working in Templars has also afforded me the opportunity to meet and network with other interns from different backgrounds. It was exciting rubbing minds with fellow interns while building lasting relationships. I have been able to gain a broader knowledge in relevant areas of the law while improving my communication and drafting skills.

As my internship came to its end, I was greeted with the wonderful news, which added more flavour to my already exciting internship experience. Earlier this year, I participated in the National Essay Competition organised by the Nigerian Institute of Chartered Arbitrators (NICArb) whose subject was “The Importance of Arbitration in an Emergent Economy”.

The National Essay was open to law students and law graduates in all parts of Nigeria and I was one of the thirteen shortlisted finalists who received an invitation to attend the Annual Conference where the winners will be announced. I was ecstatic when I emerged the first prize winner of the National Essay bringing my internship at Templars to a fulfilling end.

Finally, I align myself with the words of Confucius who said:

“Tell me, and I will forget. Show me, and I may remember. Involve me, and I will understand”.

My internship experience is not a product of showing or telling alone, but of involvement in the entire organisational process, therefore I understand and I am thankful for it. Having undergone the process of learning and unlearning, I intend to make the most of the skill and resources acquired from this internship in the pursuit of future endeavours.