In the ever-evolving legal landscape, continuous learning and specialized knowledge are paramount for success. ME Academy is at the forefront of this transformation, offering cutting-edge training and resources for aspiring corporate commercial lawyers. DNL Legal & Style sat down with the Academy’s founder, Mary Ekemezie, a seasoned legal expert with over a decade of experience at Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie (UUBO), to discuss her journey, the inception of ME Academy, and how it aims to bridge critical knowledge gaps in the legal profession. With a series of masterclasses and a new Learning Management System set to launch, she shares her vision and the Academy’s role in shaping the future of legal education.
Excerpts:
What inspired you to establish ME Academy, and what gap in the legal education landscape does it aim to address?
I was transitioning out of paid employment after 13 years at Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie (UUBO), following a year-long illness, and needed a slower pace. I knew I wanted something flexible within the legal industry that would enable me to share my knowledge. While thinking about it, I recalled interactions with younger colleagues who did not have the benefit of ‘big law’ and my experience on certain transactions that fell through because of the absence of experienced lawyers on those deals. These made me realise that there is a knowledge gap for lawyers who want to practise as corporate commercial lawyers.
Undergraduate studies as a law student and time at Law School prepares the new wig for litigation, property law and company establishment. However, a lawyer who wishes to provide corporate commercial legal advisory services needs to work with a lawyer or a law firm that has extensive corporate commercial law experience to do so effectively. The reality though is that there are only so many lawyers that can be hired by these firms. This presented an opportunity for me to bridge this gap by democratising access to this knowledge, via the Masterclasses I design and facilitate.
Can you share more about your background and experience in corporate commercial law that led to the creation of ME Academy?
Before setting up ME Academy, I was a Managing Associate at Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie (UUBO), and a member of the firm’s M&A, Private Equity, Employment and Corporate Legal Advisory teams.
I am an outstanding corporate and investment lawyer with significant corporate transactional experience and an excellent understanding of the Nigerian regulatory environment, and known for resolving complex corporate and commercial legal issues. My corporate law expertise is in structuring, coordinating and advising on market-leading transactions in mergers and acquisitions, private equity and corporate finance, as well as corporate restructurings and regulatory compliance. Some of the transactions I advised on include the Seplat deal–the listing on the LSE and the NSE–the merger of AB InBev’s Nigerian subsidiaries, the merger between Cadbury and its subsidiary, the listing of the first exchange-traded fund (ETF) on the NSE and the joint venture arrangement between an indigenous oil and gas company and the world’s largest independent commodities trading company. I also advised on the acquisition of a majority stake in a Nigerian airline catering company, by one of the world’s leading hospitality companies that provides rail and airline catering services.
In addition to my corporate law expertise, I have distinguished myself in the area of employment law, and I am recognised as a National Leader by Who’s Who Legal, known for my excellent work on employment-related issues about significant M&A transactions.
I am also the current Vice-Chairman of the Employment and Industrial Relations Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Business Law; the Events Team Lead of The Employment and Labour Lawyers Association of Nigeria (ELLAN) and a member of the National Assembly Business Environment Roundtable (NASSBER) Expert Network.
How does ME Academy differentiate itself from other e-learning platforms?
ME Academy’s unique selling point is our ability, through our well-curated courses, to provide hands-on, practical, and immediately usable knowledge. Take, for instance, our Review of Agreement series. A young lawyer who has neither drafted nor reviewed a Share Subscription Agreement would, after watching the video, be able to advise on the terms of the agreement. With our team of experts, we are constantly curating and refining our courses to stay ahead of the trend, and offer the most suitable and cost-effective courses available in the market.
How do you ensure that the content provided by ME Academy remains current and relevant to the evolving legal landscape?
We ensure that the content remains relevant through research, putting out questionnaires to ascertain the aspects of law people want a deeper understanding of, and through collaborations with other lawyers. One of our current courses, the Negotiating LMA Facility Agreement and Equity Transaction Advisory Masterclass, was co-facilitated with a partner at UUBO, Mrs. Onyinye Okafor. A number of our upcoming courses will also feature similar collaborations.
What challenges did you encounter in establishing ME Academy, and how did you overcome them?
Starting a business is generally hard, especially in this economic terrain. Putting a team together was not the easiest, and finding enough people who believed in this mission was also not a walk in the park. I would say that I have been blessed with very supportive friends who believed in me and my vision and have been cheering me on.
For starters, I did not have any contacts in the software development world or access to any videographers. I also needed help in getting the word out. My friends (Ugochi Imoka, Chukwunedum Orabueze, Efunsola Moore, and Chidinma Njoku Fadare) the Get Legal with ME gang, (there is a backstory to the name, but that is a story for some other day), provided me with introductions to the resource persons I needed to work with, during the transition from UUBO to the establishment of ME Academy.
For the next growth phase, Olubusola Ajala, Founder of Strictly Law Business, was the most pivotal person in shaping the future of ME Academy. She was instrumental in directing my visibility and marketing efforts, which included advice on setting up ME Academy’s Facebook page, streamlining our payment processes, and my first YouTube channel, which also served as the hosting platform for the courses.
As we grew, and the need for the Learning Management System became more urgent, God brought into my life a new friend, Immaculata Ojadi, who for a long time, was my primary Graphics Consultant and then evolved into my Project Manager. Imma, as I call her, is a Business Analyst and Project Manager, and she has graciously used those skills in identifying the UI-UX designer, and the current developer, and continues to coordinate the work they do. I cannot end this story without mentioning Esohe Iyare, who introduced me to the Copywriting and SEO specialist and the Corporate Communications Consultant, and my cheerleading gang: my mum and my siblings (Adanne, Ng, Nonso, Cynthia, Eberechi), and my friends, Onyinye Okafor, Sephora Akako, Ngozi Agboti and Nkechi Egejuru.
It has been a learning curve, and both me and ME Academy are the better for it today.
How does ME Academy support aspiring lawyers?
Recently, ME Academy launched what is known as the Virtual Tour for Young Lawyers and the Virtual Tour with University Students.
The Virtual Tour for Young Lawyers is an interactive Q&A session with me, where I respond to questions submitted by the young lawyers ahead of the session. Some of the sessions have been organised in collaboration with the NBA Young Lawyers Forum of the relevant branch, and here the session held with lawyers from the Gombe and Gwagwalada Branches comes to mind. The other sessions–Ogun State and Ibadan–were carried out in conjunction with practising lawyers in the locations. Young lawyers who wish to benefit from the interactive session can contact us at: mail@me-academy.org
The Virtual Tour with University Students is an initiative aimed at equipping undergraduate law students with insightful knowledge on how to build careers in the practice of Corporate Commercial Law. The virtual tour is usually an hour-long Q&A session with me, moderated by a few selected students, and is held on X (formerly Twitter). We kicked this tour off with the law students at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) and University of Nigeria Enugu Campus this month. We are exploring the option of taking the tour to students at the Ambrose Alli University next month. Students who wish to host the tour at their school can contact us at: mail@me-academy.org
Looking ahead, what are your plans and aspirations for ME Academy, both in terms of expanding course offerings and reaching a wider audience of legal professionals?
Currently, ME Academy is gearing up to launch its Learning Management System on Saturday, 1st June 2024. Also in the offing is the 5th Edition of our Introduction to Corporate Commercial Law Practice (ICCP) Masterclass, a comprehensive 3-day program designed to empower legal professionals with essential skills and knowledge in corporate commercial law, which will be held from Wednesday, 29th to Friday, 31st of May 2024.
When the Learning Management System launches on 1st June 2024, we will have the following courses on offer to subscribers:
- The Due Diligence Review Series
- The Review of Agreement Series
- The Negotiating LMA Facility Agreement and Equity Transaction Advisory Masterclass
The ICCP Masterclass and the Legal Due Diligence Reviews for Equity Transactions will be available to subscribers from 1st July 2024. We are also working on putting together two additional courses – the Legal Drafting and the Legal Due Diligence Reviews for Equity Transactions – before the end of July 2024.
As we grow, we will offer more courses on the LMS.
Readers can request our course list, by sending an email to mail@me-academy.org or by completing this Training Needs Assessment at: https://bit.ly/TrainingOfferingsandNewCoursesforLawyersandLawfirms
How do your values and beliefs shape the mission and vision of ME Academy?
I believe in accompanying, mentoring and supporting young people, and I have a particular concern for women and children. Fun fact, up until late April 2024, both ME Consult, my legal consultancy firm, and ME Academy, were both all-female firms. This support for young people drives ME Academy’s discount offerings for young lawyers, which is offered to young lawyers in the new year, and the use of a graduated fee plan for the Introduction to Corporate Commercial Law Practice (ICCP) Masterclass. It is also the driving force that led to the introduction of the interactive virtual tours for young lawyers and students that ME Academy kicked off in the first and second quarters of this year respectively.
My vision of democratising access to knowledge fuelled the drive to set up ME Academy’s Learning Management System, to offer young and transitioning lawyers, access to more career options. I am very big on practical knowledge, and this is what we strive for and promise to all who take our courses, at ME Academy.
Furthermore, I believe in corporate growth and development. To this end, ME Academy has made provisions for Startups and SMEs to benefit from our ready-to-use templates and training offerings for employees, to kickstart and support businesses on the journey to creating and maintaining a cmpliance culture.
How do you maintain a work-life balance while running ME Academy and pursuing your professional endeavours?
My Mum has been my biggest support system since she moved in with me. I also prioritise by surrounding myself with team members who make it easier for me to delegate duties and have more time to pursue other activities, be it professional or in my private life. In particular, I would like to acknowledge Onyinye Madubugwu, an intern who doubles as my assistant, for all the work she does behind the scenes that enables me to focus on less administrative tasks.
Can you share any mentors or role models who have had a significant impact on your career trajectory and the establishment of ME Academy?
I have had many great influences in my career over the years. In the first place is my late Dad, who allowed me to dream and to chase those dreams. Next on the list, is my Mum and her sisters (my Aunts)—I like to say that I come from a linage of strong women. My career and its trajectory, I largely owe to Mrs. Folake Adebowale. She took me under her wing and nurtured my growth. I am eternally grateful for her support during my time at UUBO. From Mr Dan Agbor, I learnt the art of being commercially minded when advising on a deal; Mr Nicholas Okafor and Mrs Yinka Edu, I credit with giving me wings to fly. They would throw me in the deep end of the transactions we worked on, and allow me to lead and would come in only when needed. Mrs Jumoke Lambo allowed me the room to be the de facto lead of the employment team during my time with the firm, and I do not take that for granted.
Concerning the establishment of ME Academy, special thanks go to my friend and colleague Ugochi Imoka, and the rest of the Get Legal with ME team—Chukwunedum Orabueze, Efunsola Moore, and Chidinma Njoku Fadare. I cannot forget to mention my friend (who doubles as my Graphics Consultant and project manager), Immaculata Ojadi. Without her support, ME Academy’s Learning Management System would have taken a much longer time to come to fruition.
Looking back, what personal achievements or milestones are you most proud of in the growth and development of ME Academy?
There are many firsts, but the following stand out for me:
- Shooting the first video series
- The Beta Launch of the Due Diligence and Review of Agreement Series
- The first sale of the Due Diligence and Review of Agreement Series
- Facilitating my first ever in-person training session for Oakwell Partners courtesy of Mrs. Sylvia Nzekwu
- The invitation from Mr. Kunle Obebe to facilitate the ICCP Masterclass for Bloomfield’s Associates
- Creating a separate identity for ME Academy – it used to be tied to my identity or that of ME Consult
I’m proud of the upcoming launch of ME Academy’s Learning Management System, and I can’t wait to unveil this platform to the world. It has been a labour of love, and coming this far so soon is a validation in and of itself.