10.05.08
A Wiki Of Nigerian Law?
A wiki is a software which allows a group of users to freely add and edit articles on any subject. Wiki.Org defines a wiki as “a piece of server software that allows users to freely create and edit Web page content using any Web browser.” Wikipedia is probably the most successful wiki on the web.
One of the earliest legal wikis was created by Sun Microsystems in 2007; Between January and the start of September, there had been 1,200 articles published internally at Sun (Niraj Chokshi). In-house departments and Law Firms have begun using wikis. It is an effective method of publishing and keeping track of articles emanating from that law firm or in-house department.
Nigerian Wiki is probably the only Nigerian wiki available on the internet – if there are others, please let me know. Nigeria has a number of Law Firms and in-house departments; Legal Practitioners and Law students. Why can’t we come together and produce a wiki of Nigerian law? Any Lawyer could write an article on any aspect of Nigerian law and publish on the wiki; others would be able to edit and add to it until an authoritative position is produced on that area of law.
Think about it and if you are interested, please let me know. You could either leave a comment here, or send a mail to me at sharon {dot} famonure {at} gmail {dot} com.
08.11.08
How Secure is a Password?
By Randall Stross
THE best password is a long, nonsensical string of letters and numbers and punctuation marks, a
combination never put together before. Some admirable people actually do memorize random strings of characters for their passwords – and replace them with other random strings every couple of months.
Then there’s the rest of us, selecting the short, the familiar and the easiest to remember. And holding onto it forever.
I once felt ashamed about failing to follow best practices for password selection – but no more. Computer security experts say that choosing hard-to-guess passwords ultimately brings little security protection. Passwords won’t keep us safe from identity theft, no matter how clever we are in choosing them.
That would be the case even if we had done a better job of listening to instructions. Surveys show that we’ve remained stubbornly fond of perennial favorites like “password,” “123456″ and “LetMeIn.” The underlying problem, however, isn’t their simplicity. It’s the log-on procedure itself, in which we land on a Web page, which may or may not be what it says it is, and type in a string of characters to authenticate our identity (or have our password manager insert the expected string on our behalf).
This procedure – which now seems perfectly natural because we’ve been trained to repeat it so much – is a bad idea, one that no security expert whom I reached would defend.
Password-based log-ons are susceptible to being compromised in any number of ways. Consider a single threat, that posed by phishers who trick us into clicking to a site designed to mimic a legitimate one in order to harvest our log-on information. Once we’ve been suckered at one site and our password purloined, it can be tried at other sites.
The solution urged by the experts is to abandon passwords – and to move to a fundamentally different model, one in which humans play little or no part in logging on. Instead, machines have a cryptographically encoded conversation to establish both parties’ authenticity, using digital keys that we, as users, have no need to see.
In short, we need a log-on system that relies on cryptography, not mnemonics.
As users, we would replace passwords with so-called information cards, icons on our screen that we select with a click to log on to a Web site. The click starts a handshake between machines that relies on hard-to-crack cryptographic code. The necessary software for creating information cards is on only about 20 percent of PCs, though that’s up from 10 percent a year ago. Windows Vista machines are equipped by default, but Windows XP, Mac and Linux machines require downloads.
And that’s only half the battle: Web site hosts must also be persuaded to adopt information-card technology for sign-ons.
We won’t make much progress on information cards in the near future, however, because of wasted energy and attention devoted to a large distraction, the OpenID initiative. OpenID promotes “Single Sign-On”: with it, logging on to one OpenID Web site with one password will grant entrance during that session to all Web sites that accept OpenID credentials.
08.05.08
Virtual Office I: Learning the Basics
Starting a new business can be quite tricky and expensive especially when you have to think of overhead costs. Setting up a law practice is no different; it is a business in the true sense of it. Therefore, when there are limited resources, other options need to be explored. One of such options, is the virtual office. This is Part I of a 3 Series article. Watch out for the other parts.
What is a Virtual Office?
A virtual office is a work environment, which is not tied down to a specific location. It has been defined as an environment that enables a network of co-workers to run a business efficiently by using nothing other than online communication technologies. It is also a common term for shared office services, which normally includes business address, mail & courier services, phone services, fax services, answering services, web-hosting services, and meeting & conference facilities. (Answers.Com).
What do you need to set one up?
Technically, your virtual office is wherever you are; it could be in your home, inside your car, on the beach, anywhere you find yourself. You are not tied down to a specific address. However, you might find it necessary to create a workspace at home, where you can work uniterrupted. If you are running your office from home, you might not want your business to have the same address as your home. So what do you do? There are a few options: you could either rent a post office box for your business, use a friend’s office address or use a Commercial Mail Receiving Agency (I do not know how readily available these are in Nigeria).
If you decide to operate this way, you will require certain equipment to successfully run your virtual office.
- Computer: If your work involves a lot of traveling, you might consider getting a laptop computer. Laptop computers range in price from the brand names like HP to Dell and other home grown computers like Omatek and Zinox. However, if you do not do much traveling, a standard Destktop system will do the job.
- Internet Connection: A very good internet connection is imperative. With a USB flash drive, you could probably go to a cybercafe and get all your work done. But with the high rate of cyber crime, it is not expedient or even wise to expose highly confidential material, such as you will be dealing with. You need some degree of security and that will be guaranteed – to some extent, by getting your own private internet connection. In Nigeria, there are a couple of ISPs; the most affordable seems to be the Starcomms broadband. However, I have used DOPC (Direct on PC) provided by Unwired for several months now and I’ve found their services satisfactory but they are only available in Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt.
- Printer: A black and white 600-1200 dpi laser printer if your final documents require crisp, high quality black and white output. Laser printers also provide the fastest output, so if you know your volume will be high you should also consider a laser printer. A color laser printer if your documents need high quality color illustrations, photos, or charts. These are quite expensive so make sure you compare the print quality with a less expensive ink jet printer. An inkjet printer if you need good quality text, color charts and graphs, or photos. With ink jet printers, the paper that is used often makes the biggest difference in the print quality. Get paper that is best suited for the job you are doing. Also, try to get a test print from different models to compare quality before you buy. Ink jets can provide very good quality but are not as fast printing as laser printers. (How Stuff Works)
- Scanner/Copier/Fax Machine: You will need all of these at one point in time or the other. You can request the soft copy of documents from your clients, but there are certain others that you will need to photocopy and maybe scan, such as Court processes, Leases and other such documents.
For the same reason, you will need a Fax Machine. This is because, a good percentage of your clients are people you will most likely never see. This affords them an option to scanning. In the alternative, there are several fax to email services on the internet such as eFax, which enable you for a minimal fee, to receive fax messages as emails. Free Fax to Email, like the name implies, offers free services.
- Alternative Power Supply: Let’s not forget that this is Nigeria we are talking about. You cannot afford to rely on the National Power supply (Power Holding Company of Nigeria). They are erratic. Your clients reside in different time zones and countries, they would find it hard to understand that you did not meet a deadline due to a lack of power supply. Therefore you need either a generator or an inverter; or in most cases both.
Software:
- An email address: This definitely goes without saying. There are several free email services on the internet such as Yahoo, Hotmail and GMail.
- A website/blog: This is your presence on the internet. It is where your clients will find you. Read this on how to create a blog.
- A word processor: The most popular is Microsoft Word. But this is quite expensive. A lot of people use Lotus, however, I personally use Star Writer by Sun systems. It works just fine for me and because it is open source, it is also free.
- Spreadsheet and database programs: Microsoft Excel, Intuit QuickBase and Star Base, which is free.
- Presentation Software: Microsoft PowerPoint or Star Office
- Antivirus: This is necessary to protect your system from harmful virus especially since you will be connected to the internet. Some good ones are Norton Antivirus, Mcafee and Avast.
- Adobe Acrobat Reader:
- Graphics/Image Editor:
- Internet Browser: You can use Internet Explorer but my personal preference is Mozilla Firefox.
This is it for now. In the next part, the following questions will be answered:
How do you hold meetings? What if you need an assistant, how do you employ?
Let me know if this article was useful to you. If there is anything you would like to know about Virtual Offices, drop a comment and I’ll blog about it.
If you would like to download the free Open Office suite, click here.
07.11.08
Book Review: Sisters in Law
Title: Sisters in Law: Career Choices for Nigerian Women Lawyers
Authors: Boma Ozobia & Elizabeth Cruickshank
Review By: Sharon Famonure
When I first saw this book, my first thought was that it was about the lives of some sisters-in law. Having read it through (twice), I have come to the conclusion that this is not just a book but a practical guide for Nigerian women lawyers.
The women portrayed in this book cut across diverse backgrounds and inclinations. They however had one thing in common…the Law and family. They each successfully combined both and achieved outstanding results.
One of such women is Uju Aisha Hassan Baba, the Direcotr General of the Legal Aid Council. After several years as a prosecutor in the Ministry of Justice, She made the move from prosecutor to ‘Chief Public Defender’ in 1999. After an initial adjustment period, Uju Aisha Hassan Baba rolled up her sleeves and went to work with such zeal and enthusiasm; from Prison yard to Court Room, her passion spills over.
During my stint as a corp member with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), I had regular contact with the Legal Aid Commission and got to hear of the incredible service this spectacular woman was rendering. I also became quite familiar with the mission statement of the Commission, ‘Giving Voice to the Voiceless.’ It was therefore with a bubbling sense of excitement that I turned to the section which had her interview in the book and I was not disappointed. She is every bit the dynamic woman I had suspected her to be. Her advice for female lawyers is spot on:
” From the very beginning every female lawyer must be sincere and hardworking. You need to take every case seriously and you have to put all that you have into it. Without hard work, you will not succeed.“
Quite a number of eminent women in the profession featured in the book, but one in particular stands out boldly in my memory. This is Sena Anthony. She is the Group General Manager, Corporate Secretariat and Legal Division and Secretary to the Corporation of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC). She is not just the first woman to chair the International Bar Association (IBA) Section on Energy and Natural Resources, but is also the first African.
This sister in law made me see the beauty in being an in house counsel; reading her interview made me want to be an in house counsel. She gently and patiently takes the reader through the multi-faceted abilities and the versatility of the in house lawyer. This is certainly an eye opener; as Sena Anthony puts it:
“We really have to have a knowledge of everything. We need to know about Aviation Law and the Law relating to Goods and Services; as in-house lawyers we really have to have a broad base of legal knowledge.“
The book, Sisters in Law reads like an accolade of the women who have climbed unto the highest platforms of their chosen areas of law with notable ’sisters’ like Funke Adekoya who is the Managing Partner of AELEX Legal Practitioners and Arbitrators and is also one of only 5 women who are Senior Advocates of Nigeria; or the inestimable Yinka Omorogbe, Professor of Law and Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Ibadan (my almer mater). Professor Yinka Omorogbe is a consultant on Energy Law and Policy, Managing Director of the Centre for Petroleum, Environment and Development Studies and the General Secretary on the Nigeria Society of International Law. These women and their contemporaries mentioned in Sisters in Law, have a number of achivements to their name. The authors are no exception.
Growing up in the Oil City of Nigeria, Port Harcourt, Boma Ozobia, one of the authors of the book experienced first hand, the challenges faced by lady lawyers in Nigeria yet she did not let that hold her down. She qualified both in Nigeria and in the United Kingdom. She is the founding partner of Sterling Partnership Solicitors LLP and was Chairwoman of the Association of Women Solicitors of England and Wales in 2005. She is a highly principled person and her belief in hard work and determination come across clearly as one reads through the live of the different women she writes about. She is one of those inimitable women who have successfully combined law practice and a home life.
Elizabeth Cruickshank, author of “Women in the Law” and Editor of Link, the magazine of the Association of Women Solicitors of England and Wales is another outstanding woman. She was Chairwoman of the Association of Women Solicitors in 2004, and in 2005 was given the Era Crawley Award for services to women solicitors. She is certainly a role model to young lawyers; she has shown me that it is indeed possible to ‘have it all:’ a fulfilling career and a happy home.
Sisters in Law is a compulsory read for all young female lawyers. When I was at the University and even at law school, I had no mentors to look up to; no doubt they existed but of who they were and how to find them, I was totally clueless. If I’d had this book, it would have been a different story.
06.26.08
Legal Personality: Beatrice Hamza-Bassey
Beatrice Hamza-Bassey made history recently when she became the first African to be named a partner at New York City-based Hughes Hubbard and Reed, one of the oldest law firms in the United States, and one of the biggest in the world. A 1994 Law graduate of the University of Maiduguri, Beatrice, as she is fondly called, bagged a Master’s degree in Law in 1998 from the prestigious Harvard University in the United States. Married with two children, brilliant Beatrice, 37, had scooped many awards in Nigeria and the United States before bagging the landmark partnership. But in all this, she is humble and gives God the glory. “God uses us as instruments for his glory,” she enthuses.
SHE came to the United States to study law at Master’s level at the prestigious Harvard University and then, as she planned, she would go back home and teach at a university or the Nigerian Law School. But all of that changed when she got an offer to work with one of the oldest law firms in US legal history. And after 10 years, Beatrice Hamza-Bassey has made history as the first Nigerian trained female lawyer to make partnership in a big US law firm.
What about how she decided to study law? At age four, she buffeted a visiting family relative -her aunt staying the night – with so many questions all night that in the morning the relative had to report “your lawyer-daughter” to Beatrice’s mum! That was her first contact with the idea of becoming a lawyer and she stuck with it.
And even after she had settled down in the career as a lawyer in New York City, the way things happen in her life continue to reflect a bigger hand at work. When time came to choose a life partner, an influential Nigerian lawyer who knew her, as a “hardworking lady” was instrumental to introducing her to another “hardworking Nigerian man” also based in New York so that two-hardworking people – the one is a lawyer and the other a doctor- became man and wife in 2004 and now both have two happy children.
It is therefore not surprising that this young woman who has managed to balance a thriving and outstanding legal career with a happy married life that is blessed with two young children is in fact a believer! She mentions the fact that she grew up in a Pentecostal church and in Sunday school classes.
Beatrice is happily married to a Nigerian medical doctor, Yarromi Bassey and with Derrick Alvari, their son and Margaret Annieka, their daughter, are based in New York. Asked how she has been able to cope as a professional woman and as a wife and mother all at once, she points to her faith in God as a driving force.
Said the New York lawyer: “I’m truly blessed. I believe there is God’s hand, and nothing comes to me without God’s blessings.”
As a Christian, Beatrice makes the point that she is a born again “Pentecostal” and that she feels “a particular responsibility to God.” According to her, “I may not live up to every expectation, but will make sure I am successful and that I will be an instrument for God’s glory.”
In her school days in Nigeria, she had been a brilliant student at Queen’s College, Lagos making As in her SSCE – being the first set that sat for the SSCE and not WAEC in 1988. At the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) she graduated with distinction in 1994. She won the Dean’s Prize, the Moot Court Competition and was also the Class Valedictorian. She was also the President of the Law Students Association and Chairperson of the university’s Students’ Union between 1993 and 1994.
At the Nigerian Law School where she graduated with honours in 1995, Hamza-Bassey won the Sir Darnley Alexander Prize, Chief Ernest Shonekan Prize and the FRA Williams prizes.
Hamza-Bassey also loves her community. Although she is based abroad, she is a passionate participant in activities of Nigerians abroad in the US. For instance, she was president of the Nigerian Lawyers Association between 2001 and 2002 and is the current chair of the Association’s Board of Directors. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Mac Arthur Foundation’s Nigeria Higher Education Foundation. “I love to get involved in the community,” she affirms.
She hails from Bora-Kwaya in Kusar Local Government Area of Borno State from a family of educated and Christian parents with six children. Her father was a professor of Geography at the Bayero University, Kano and later the University of Maiduguri where her mother was also the University Librarian. In the Second Republic her father later became an elected federal legislator.
After her faith in God, Hamza-Bassey points to mum’s influence. “Mum has been a very positive influence in my life.” She recalls how it was her mother’s idea that she should attend secondary education in Lagos, at the famous Queen’s College, even though the family was mainly based in Maiduguri.
(. . . Read the rest of this article here.)
An Article by Laolu Akande, Culled from the Guardian Newspaper.
