By Godfrey George
A Nigerian-trained lawyer, Charles Osuji, who moved to Canada in 2011, recently bought over the law firm where he interned as a young lawyer and became the Managing Partner of the firm, Osuji and Smith Lawyers, Canada. He tells GODFREY GEORGE how he was able to do this and his plans for the future
Please, tell us about yourself.
I am the seventh child of eight children of my parents. I am from Amucha in the Njaba Local Government Area of Imo State. I’m in my mid thirties. After my Bar Call in Nigeria in 2010, my elder brother, Dr Joseph Osuji, sponsored my immigration to Canada in 2011. After I relocated, I re-licensed to practise here in Alberta, Canada, and was called to the Bar here in 2014. I have been a lawyer since 2010 in Nigeria and since 2014 in Alberta, Canada.
In a social media post you mentioned that you have bought over the law firm where you used to work as an articling student lawyer. How exactly did it happen?
Two years after my Bar Call in 2014, I bought into partnership with my former principal, Mr Jim Smith. A year later, he indicated he was looking to sell his stake in the practice and retire, so I made an offer he could not reject. Though still young in age and in practice, I had worked seven days a week, year after year and had made a lot of connections and got good at practice. Sometimes, what you put in is what you get. I had put in a lot of work. Moreover, I was already bringing the most money and number of clients to the firm and effectively running and managing the practice even as an associate. So, it was not really much of a big deal for both of us.
How many years did it take you to pull this off?
In all, it took me two and a half years or so.
Some people would say two years is such a short time to make such an achievement. What precepts did you live by to make this work?
I would say it has been consistent hard work and focus on being better at my craft. I also surround myself with experienced mentors. Most importantly, being confident in my abilities and believing that there are really no limits. Once you begin to believe you can fly, you don’t only fly, you soar.
How would you grade the entire experience right now?
Hmmm…It has been very challenging but rewarding, to be honest. I took over the firm when I had zero firm management or business ownership experience. In fact, I initially turned down the opportunity to make any offers to Mr Smith because I was afraid of failing at it, and the prospect of taking such a risk was daunting and overwhelming. I was still relatively new to the country and I was not sure how far I could go due to my colour and heritage. However, after speaking to a few mentors, I decided to take the jump; a decision I do not regret.
You mentioned that you had to go from firm to firm during your formative years before Mr Joe Smith gave you a chance. How was that experience for you?
It was a humbling one. I graduated top of my class back in the Imo State University, 2004 – 2009 set. So, I didn’t foresee significant difficulties with getting my foot in the door. However, I quickly realised that I had no network here and I did not have the advantage of the connections I had built back home in Nigeria. Moreover, not a lot of people who look like me, who understood my journey and challenges owned their law firms or were at the table where hiring decisions for lawyers were made. Also, at this point, I was doing a lot of survival jobs. I worked in factories and did all sorts of manual labour to survive. I worked three jobs at the same time and barely had the leisure of sleeping more than three nights in a week. It was a really terrible experience, but I am grateful for life and the gift of sound health.
Did you ever feel like giving up; like you made the wrong decision moving to Canada?
I had moments when I felt lost with no sense of direction but I was very hopeful for a better future given that Canada is a country that rewards hard work, discipline, integrity and focus.
How has the journey been so far at the law firm five years down the line?
Simply amazing! We went from seven employees when I bought the firm to more than 24 employees and counting. We have also secured a second location – one of the best-looking, stand-alone modern buildings in the city, which we proudly call ours. In these five years, I have mentored and assisted more than 25 lawyers and legal assistants to obtain their designations through the firm. I have also given a lot of internationally-trained lawyers an opportunity to kick-start their careers in Canada. We are still expanding and there is still room for more expansion. We are just getting started. Has it always been rosy? I wouldn’t say so, but it has been rewarding.
Our new office space is four times bigger than my first location, and is located a few minutes from Downtown Calgary. It is brand new, and was recently completed a few weeks ago. We moved in early September 2022. With this second location and the size of my firm, we have become the largest black-owned law firm in the Province of Alberta and one of the largest in Canada. I built this space because the original location could no longer contain our growth, and I needed to create more room for the ‘Foot in the Door’ programme. Just the risk of buying over the practice in 2017, I believe this is yet another risk that would pay off and motivate folks who look like me across the country and beyond to begin to own where they work and create opportunities for those who come after them.
What were some of the challenges you faced in the early part of your career in Canada?
I didn’t have enough time to pursue my career due to the need to earn income to survive. I also had some issues with self-doubt and imposter syndrome. Not having a strong professional network; the cold weather! But I surmounted all of them by focus and resilience.
What were the worst things you heard at this time and how did you keep your head above the negativity?
Someone once told me that I should not even bother trying to be a lawyer here as no judge would understand my accent. Well, he was wrong. We have over 90 per cent success rate in all our matters. We have been decorated with over 40 local and national awards in recognition of our work. The rest is history. The negativity became a ball of fire in my belly to be better than I was.
Were you faced with racism when you got to Canada?
I didn’t know I was black until I came to Canada. Unfortunately, racism is still well and alive but, most times, not very overt.
What antagonistic tides did you face and how did you surmount it?
I surrounded myself with people whose eyes lit up whenever I walked into a room. I got involved with volunteering opportunities. I worked hard to get better at my craft. I made sure that I maintained a good name. The reality is when you are good at what you do, and you are able to provide value to people’s lives, people begin to forget what you look or sound like.
You mentioned that you would begin a programme you tagged ‘The Foot in the Door Programme’. What exactly is it all about?
I got here because someone gave me a shot and allowed me a foot in the door. Without having a foot in the door, it doesn’t matter how good, dedicated or hard-working you are; no one would notice. This is more so for internationally-trained professionals or newcomers like myself, who do not have the type of connections folks born and raised here have. I am a beneficiary of someone giving me the benefit of the doubt, and giving me the opportunity to prove my worth. I intend to continue to pay that forward through the Foot in the Door Programme, where internationally-trained lawyers would have the opportunity to join the firm in a volunteer capacity and become exposed to the legal system or process here for a specified time period. They would also have access to information, and the lawyers in the firm and their respective network of clients, colleagues and partners. They would participate in court proceedings, client meetings, seminars, conferences, and similar types of exposures. This experience would be on their resume as their “Canadian experience”, and boost their confidence.
The firm would also provide anyone seeking to hire them a positive reference and vouch for their capabilities. Sometimes, newcomers simply need folks with credibility to vouch for them in their absence. We will also be looking for grants and financial support for the candidates and the firm will be covering some of the licensing costs the candidates might be facing. In all, this programme would raise awareness for the plight of newcomer professionals (especially lawyers) who simply want their “foot in the door” and motivate other organisations and firms to join the cause. This programme is still being developed.
You were named one of the best 50 lawyers under 40. How does it feel?
Humbling! Sometimes, I pinch myself. All in all, I give God the glory for his unending grace.
Do you think you would have got this far if you were in Nigeria?
As a “lazy youth”? Just kidding! I really don’t have an answer to that question. I would have been as focused, determined and hard-working but I am not sure how the poor infrastructures and limited support for young entrepreneurs in Nigeria would have enabled the growth I have experienced in such a short period of time here. In Nigeria, there are millions of folks who are more intelligent, more qualified, hard-working and determined but it is tough to rise above their circumstances due to lack of an enabling environment. Some of the lawyers here make, in a day, what a fellow colleague back home, with comparable training, makes in a year, and that is terrible.
Law can be very challenging. What is the biggest case you have taken up?
I took up a landmark severance case. This case was released earlier this year. It was a precedent-setting case. For the first time in Alberta, a summary trial for wrongful dismissal was awarded two years’ severance pay to a non-management employee. It is tagged Oostlander V Cervus Equipment Corporation.
What awards do you have in your belt so far?
We have won quite a few. We won the 2022 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch (Best Lawyers); the 2020 Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers in Canada (Canadian Lawyer); the LEXPERT Rising Stars, Leading Lawyers under 40; the 2022 Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, Lawyer to Watch; the 2022 100 Most Influential Black People in Canada; the 2021 Avenue Calgary Top 40 Under 40; Canada’s 2021 Top 40 Under 40; the Recipient, Power of Inclusion Community Award by Council of Nigerian Professionals, Canada; the Recipient, 2021 Top 25 DEI Person of the Year Award by Canadian Multicultural Group; the Black Excellence Award by Calgary Black Chambers; the 2021 Les Prix Canie Awards’ Black Entrepreneur Award; the 2021 Torch Awards by Better Business Bureau (BBB).
In 2020, we won the 2020 Canadian Bar Association’s Douglas Miller Rising Star Award; 2020 Employer Awards for Newcomer Employment, given by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada; the 2020 Immigrant of Distinction– Achievement under 35 award (Immigrant Services Calgary); and, the 2020 Entrepreneurship and Innovation award (Immigrant Services Calgary).
In 2019, we won the 2019 Hope Awards by Aspen Family and Community Network Society and the 2019 Professional of the Year Award by Diversity Magazine, Alberta. We were also the recipient of the Afro Canadian 2019 Entrepreneur of the Year Award by Diversity Magazine; the 2019 Employer Awards for Newcomer Employment, given by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada; and, the 2019 CY Ekwulugo Award for Volunteering and Community Service, courtesy of the Igbo Cultural Association of Calgary, Alberta, amongst a host of others.
The most recent are the 2022 Top Choice of Business Law Services in Calgary; 2021 Best Business in Canada by Canadian Business Review Board; 2022 Best Business in Canada by Canadian Business Review Board; 2021 Best Employment Lawyers in Calgary; 2022 Best Employment Lawyers in Calgary; 2021 Best Real Estate Lawyers in Calgary; 2022 Best Real Estate Lawyers in Calgary; 2021 Best Family Lawyers in Calgary; 2022 Best Family Lawyers in Calgary; 2021 Best Divorce Lawyers in Calgary; and, the 2022 Best Divorce Lawyers in Calgary, among others.
Did you ever envisage this life when you were much younger?
Certainly not. I am just grateful to God for giving me all that I have.
But was it always your dream to be a lawyer?
No. I wanted to be a drummer (laughs), but my father didn’t seem impressed when I disclosed that to him. Over time, my interest changed and I ended up studying Law.
What kind of growing up did you have?
I was raised by my elder brother, Rev. Fr. Dr. Anthony Osuji. He taught me to focus and be disciplined. As young as seven years old, I had two options: read or sleep.
How often do you visit Nigeria?
I do so once every two years.
What plans do you have for the future?
I intend to build more tables and show the world what people like me can do if given a shot.
What advice do you have for young Nigerian lawyers who are at the brink of giving up on themselves?
They need to keep pushing and getting prepared. When the dots connect, only the prepared will sustain their success. Luck is when opportunity meets hard work.
Originally published at Punch