ESQ Legal Practice Magazine JUNE 2014 EDITION | Page 72

selves to periodic negotiations
to progressively eliminate
barriers to international trade
in services without requiring
further approval from other
member States. Indeed,
Article 19 of the agreement
compels members to enter into
negotiations of specific
commitments, directed to the
reduction or elimination of the
adverse effects on trade in
services of measures as a
means of providing effective
market access.
The agreement is made up of
binding rules for trade in all
commercial services, with the
aim of promoting growth by
removing barriers and
attracting foreign investment
by opening regulated services
to international competition.
Its benefits have however not
gone without critical
appraisal, especially in its
impact on developing nations.
Indeed, the possibility of
adverse consequences of
globalization has made the
need for capacity building for
Nigerian Lawyers very
compelling. Citing caution,
Jumoke Akinjide noted that:

Some progress has been made by the introduction of new and globally
relevant subjects of training in the Universities and at the Nigerian Law
School. There are still a lot of grounds to cover however. Our pace of
breaking-in needs to be quickened. The truth is that, the world is moving
fast and we must keep in pace.
need to proceed cautiously,
bearing in mind the importance of our national interest
is imperative.
But that should not impede
the need to be prepared to
ensure that our national Bar is
well equipped to compete
favourably, if not equally with
lawyers from other jurisdictions taking advantage of
globalization.
Without doubt, the incursion
of globalization has made it
mandatory that legal training
must embrace subjects, that
will ensure that our lawyers
are trained to be functionally
relevant beyond our borders.
Capacity building is therefore
imperative for those charged
wi