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The yNBA
Otunba Yemi Carrington, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, goes into work one Saturday and realizes that all twenty-eight employees in his top litigation firm have resigned. As he figures out how to keep his law firm afloat, he uncovers a secret organisation of young lawyers, the eponymous yNBA, formed as a counter-group to the Nigerian Bar Association.
The yNBA is a commentary on law practice in Lagos that is anchored on its very relateable characters and very real stories. It tells of the oppression that pervades the legal profession and captures the very familiar conflict between old and new.
The yNBA is a commentary on law practice in Lagos that is anchored on its very relateable characters and very real stories. It tells of the oppression that pervades the legal profession and captures the very familiar conflict between old and new.
338 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2020
11 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 30, 2021
I bought this book because it is about the suffering that comes with being in the legal profession in Nigeria. Specifically the suffering of being a young lawyer in Nigeria. A type of suffering that my friends and I know of too well. I was instantly drawn to it because it is something that is common knowledge but I had never seen anyone talk about it so openly outside of the legal profession, then to find someone who wrote a whole book based on it? Mindblown!
The best part of the book for me was how the writer was able to portray the legal world and its dealings so accurately. I didn't feel any of the behaviors were exaggerated or unrealistic. They were just right. Many of them I had experienced myself.
The storyline on the other hand wasn't so great. I felt the writer didn't know what direction she wanted to go with the main characters and she just ended up turning a story about activism and fighting for what is right into one of young love and other silly things.
I also felt the ending didn't provide any resolution to the issues raised in the book. Or rather it didn't provide adequate resolution. I felt rushed and shallow. A very "I don't know where this book is heading so I'm going to end it here" type of ending.
Overall, I think anyone who has ever worked in the legal profession in Nigeria will be able to relate and might enjoy the book because of that. However, I think none lawyers might find it boring with too much legal lingo. I would recommend it to my lawyer friends and anyone who is interested in what life as a young lawyer in Nigeria is really like.
The best part of the book for me was how the writer was able to portray the legal world and its dealings so accurately. I didn't feel any of the behaviors were exaggerated or unrealistic. They were just right. Many of them I had experienced myself.
The storyline on the other hand wasn't so great. I felt the writer didn't know what direction she wanted to go with the main characters and she just ended up turning a story about activism and fighting for what is right into one of young love and other silly things.
I also felt the ending didn't provide any resolution to the issues raised in the book. Or rather it didn't provide adequate resolution. I felt rushed and shallow. A very "I don't know where this book is heading so I'm going to end it here" type of ending.
Overall, I think anyone who has ever worked in the legal profession in Nigeria will be able to relate and might enjoy the book because of that. However, I think none lawyers might find it boring with too much legal lingo. I would recommend it to my lawyer friends and anyone who is interested in what life as a young lawyer in Nigeria is really like.
October 23, 2020
Firstly, I must commend the author for her work been this is her debut. It wasn't a bad one for a debut.
The genre legal drama/legal fiction isn't something we get to see in Nigerian literatures.
I enjoyed reading this book, given the whole drama.
And it happens to be my first read that gave me insight of the Nigerian legal system.
The legal terms and explanations were easy to understand, not minding if you are a practitioner or not.
The characters, most of them were toxic to me and seeing how it ended up for them, wasn't much of a surpise to me.
Though navigating between the past and present, kinda took me time to settle in, while the description was a little over for me.
I recommend reading it because I did enjoy the naija drama.
The genre legal drama/legal fiction isn't something we get to see in Nigerian literatures.
I enjoyed reading this book, given the whole drama.
And it happens to be my first read that gave me insight of the Nigerian legal system.
The legal terms and explanations were easy to understand, not minding if you are a practitioner or not.
The characters, most of them were toxic to me and seeing how it ended up for them, wasn't much of a surpise to me.
Though navigating between the past and present, kinda took me time to settle in, while the description was a little over for me.
I recommend reading it because I did enjoy the naija drama.
May 29, 2025
This book was a really good read for me. It gave me a sneak peek to all the theatrics that happens in the Nigerian law system. I would just suggest she changed the book cover to be more captivating.
July 16, 2021
Five hours and a book later, I'm left irritated.
This story had real promise; a David group sticking it to the Goliath establishment. The underdogs and their adventures in success or failure.
The only upside here is the gist, the drama. Outside of that, there's barely any structure or real flow.
Most of the ends are left loose and not in a tasteful cliffhanger sort of way. Almost like the writer was running out of paper, and needed to cram all her ideas in.
I'm only going to the trouble of writing this review because of how good this story could have been. Like, what happened to everybody whose character you went to so much lengths to develop? How did this become a romantic tragedy?
Where can I get my 5 hours back?
This story had real promise; a David group sticking it to the Goliath establishment. The underdogs and their adventures in success or failure.
The only upside here is the gist, the drama. Outside of that, there's barely any structure or real flow.
Most of the ends are left loose and not in a tasteful cliffhanger sort of way. Almost like the writer was running out of paper, and needed to cram all her ideas in.
I'm only going to the trouble of writing this review because of how good this story could have been. Like, what happened to everybody whose character you went to so much lengths to develop? How did this become a romantic tragedy?
Where can I get my 5 hours back?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews