Defining Moments

Chronicles of a Silk is the engaging memoirs of one of Nigerian’s leading legal practitioners, Professor Kemi Pinheiro, OFR, SAN ("Kemi"). Kemi who was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1987 has been a member of the Inner Bar since 2006. In this riveting book, Kemi narrates his exciting and almost surreal adventures at the Bar, first as a struggling advocate who was trying to find his feet, and later as a successful practitioner with thriving practices in leading cities across Nigeria. The journey to the top echelon of the legal profession was however not a smooth one for the Senior Advocate of Nigeria who had to ford the swamp, trudge the rough terrain, and battle inclement weather to reach the top. As a young lawyer, he had to trek miles to and from his place of work on account of his impecuniosity. Whilst it is not unusual for popular television dramas and movies to glamourise the legal profession, in this book, Kemi paints a vivid picture of the reality of legal practice in real life. He has documented some of his adventures as a legal practitioner from the time he was called to the Bar to the present. In this book, you will read about how it came about that he attended the University of Benin to study Law. You will read how he was not able to afford his preferred wig and gown when he was to be called to the Bar. Whilst this is certainly not a conventional biographical account, it is a riveting memoirs that documents the author’s rite of passage from his growing up years in Lagos, through his educational pursuits, to his years as a struggling lawyer before arriving at the pinnacle of an eventful legal career, and of course, how his dream of becoming a Senior Advocate of Nigeria almost got truncated. You will read of his encounters with some of the leading practitioners he has been privileged to appear against, and to learn from. You will read of his encounters with Learned Judges and Justices of superior courts of record. You will read of some witnesses he has either led in evidence in chief or cross-examined. You will also read of clients, friends, and families. What you have in this modest book is therefore a potpourri of his exciting adventures, interactions, and encounters. In Chronicles of a Silk, KP SAN narrates the events of 2005 which was when he was simultaneously and paradoxically at the then highest peak of his profession and at the lowest ebb of his career. From being announced as one of the fifteen distinguished counsel to be awarded the prestigious rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, he ended up having his conferment deferred unceremoniously. How did he weather the perilous storm of that traumatic period? How was he able to navigate the slippery terrain without slipping? Who were those remarkable men and women who stood by him and assisted in no small measure to pull him through? In this book, KP SAN attempted to express his gratitude to everyone in his corner and without whose support an average man could have thrown in the towel. Defining Moments: Chronicles of a Silk is a frank and sometimes self-effacing account of a distinguished Senior Advocate of Nigeria of his sojourn at the Bar in his close to four decades of legal practice in Nigeria.