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Detail Commercial Solicitors (DETAIL) held a webinar on May 27, 2020 to steer the minds of the public towards opportunities that are available to individuals and businesses during this time of COVID-19 and beyond. DETAIL, one of the top commercial law firms in Nigeria and the first law firm to specialize exclusively in non-courtroom practice, put together an informative, unique and rich online event.

According to the law firm, the webinar was underpinned by the expression, ‘every cloud has a silver lining.’ Speaking on the purpose of the event, Ayuli Jemide, Lead Partner at DETAIL, alluded to the story of Pip, the protagonist in Charles Dicken’s book, “Great Expectations.” Using the challenges faced by Pip, for whom things turned around because of the great expectations he had, Ayuli encouraged all attendees to be optimistic about ongoing changes in the workplace and economy.  

The event featured distinguished discussants from various sectors, including Ada Osakwe, Founder/Managing Director of The Nuli Juice Company; William Breeze, Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills LLP; Odunola Onadipe, Lead Operations Officer, Detail Commercial Solicitors; and Okey Onyegbule, Chairman, Gulf Africa Capital (BVI) Ltd.

In his remarks, William stated that opportunities in the energy sector continue to abound as “the energy transition is being accelerated by the crisis and there is greater reliance on renewable energy.” When asked about how to manage client relationships in these times, William remarked that the use of technology has made working relationships more personal but “nothing beats meeting people in person.” He also opined that innovation will determine how soon we can get back to physical meetings.  

Ada, who is also an agribusiness advocate, noted that this is the time for innovation as “innovation will push us to do more than we would typically do” under normal circumstances. She emphasized that investment opportunities abound in agriculture because people need to eat. She encouraged business owners to embrace technology in order to take advantage of emerging opportunities.  

Technology and digitisation have come to stay, particularly as the phrase “workplace” may be replaced with “workstation” to mean wherever an employee is working from, stated DETAIL’S Odunola. She noted that with more people working from home, organisations will and should focus on employee wellbeing, adding that this will be an area of opportunity for those in the wellness industry.

When asked about his thoughts on China, Okey stated that the world is placing “less reliance on complicated international supply chains.” This, according to him, places a greater need for industrialisation in each country. He encouraged attendees to remain optimistic, calling the current challenge “creative destruction.” He noted further that, “we have to go through this period; and out of it will rise opportunities.”

On the takeaways from the event, Ayuli emphasized the need for innovation and entrepreneurship. He urged all attendees to put on their thinking caps. The Lead Partner at DETAIL said, “we are going to see who the thinkers are over the next couple of months and years to come.”

DETAIL is distinct as Nigeria's first commercial solicitor firm to specialize exclusively in non-courtroom practice. Based in Lagos, DETAIL provides legal services in Infrastructure, PPP, Power, Oil & Gas, Finance, Corporate & Commercial Private Equity, Capital Markets, Real Estate and Technology, IP, Media & Entertainment. www.detailsolicitors.com