BEYOND THE LECTURE ROOM: THE WOMAN WHO SAW A LAWYER IN ME BEFORE I FULLY SAW ONE IN MYSELF.
An appreciation of Counsel Ameo Jennifer Ogol: A lecturer, mentor, professional and a remarkable destiny helper in my legal journey.
My story with Counsel Ameo Jennifer Ogol is one such experience.
Sometimes, when I reflect on how our relationship developed, I struggle to identify the exact moment when a lecturer became a mentor, a professional became a friend, and a friend gradually became someone I regard as a mother figure. What I know, however, is that she has been one of the most influential people in my journey within the legal profession.
She saw something in me at a time when I was still discovering what I could become.
It started in the lecture room
My first encounter with Counsel Ameo Jennifer Ogol was in the university lecture room at Kampala International University (KIU), where she taught us Evidence Law during our second year.
At that time, she was simply one of our lecturers, and I was an undergraduate law student trying to understand the complexities of the legal profession.
Little did I know that our paths would eventually develop into something much more meaningful.
Later, I contested for the position of Speaker of the KIU Law Society and was privileged to be elected. Interestingly, Counsel Ameo Jennifer Ogol became the Patroness of the Law Society.
This created another opportunity for us to interact, this time beyond the traditional lecturer-student relationship. We began engaging during Law Society meetings, discussions and other activities concerning the affairs of the students.
I cannot confidently explain what initially drew her attention to me. Perhaps it was the ideas I shared during meetings, the questions I asked, the positions I took on different matters or simply the determination with which I approached responsibilities.
But I remember that whenever I approached her, she would often describe me as an honest person, down to earth, a researcher and someone who pushes hard to achieve what he wants.
Those words were encouraging, especially coming from a senior professional whose intellectual capacity I admired.
During our Law Society meetings, I would sometimes present views or make contributions, and I could notice how engaged she became in some of the discussions. She was one of those people who would not simply listen to your ideas but would challenge you to think further.
I began appreciating that leadership was not merely about occupying an office or having the title of Speaker. It was about developing the ability to think, articulate issues, engage intelligently and appreciate different perspectives.
And perhaps, without knowing it, I was beginning to receive one of the most important lessons of my professional journey.
When a senior professional becomes your biggest encourager
As time went on, our relationship grew beyond the Law Society.
Counsel Ameo Jennifer Ogol became someone I could approach, someone I could learn from and someone who took a genuine interest in my development.
She was then working with the Judicial Service Commission, where she continues to serve. Through our conversations, I began encountering a different dimension of the legal profession.
She would share experiences, ask questions and introduce me to legal and professional perspectives that would sometimes leave me thinking for hours.
There were moments when she would tell me something about the profession, and I would quietly ask myself whether I had truly understood the magnitude of the journey I had chosen.
I was looking at an intelligent woman whose ideas, reasoning and understanding of the law seemed far beyond my level at the time.
I would sometimes wonder: Would I ever become that knowledgeable? Would I ever reach a point where I could reason with such depth, approach legal questions with such confidence and understand the profession from that perspective?
One day, I posed a question to her. I wanted to understand how someone develops that level of intellectual depth and professional competence.
Her response was simple, but it has remained with me.
She told me that it was a matter of time, resilience, commitment and the urge to pursue and understand the law.
But she did not stop there.
She asked me a question that challenged the very foundation of my academic journey:
“Tomorrow, what do you want to use the course you are pursuing today for? Are you studying because your parents sent you to school? Are you studying because you simply felt you should become a lawyer? What inspired you to become a lawyer?”
That question changed the way I thought about my education.
It made me realise that pursuing a professional course should be driven by more than the desire to obtain a qualification. One must understand the purpose behind the journey, the contribution they intend to make and the kind of professional they aspire to become.
I began looking at law differently. I was no longer interested merely in completing my degree. I wanted to understand the law, appreciate its application, develop my research abilities and become a professional whose contribution would matter.
Even today, that question continues to challenge me. Whenever I find myself becoming comfortable, I remember that I am not simply studying to accumulate qualifications. I am preparing myself for a responsibility.
The Phone Calls, the Questions and the Unexpected Motherly Concern
One thing that has always amazed me about Counsel Jennifer Ogol is the consistency with which she has followed up on my progress.
She would call to check on me, sometimes in the morning, and ask how I was doing. She wanted to know whether I was making progress, what I was working on and whether I had something meaningful to keep me occupied.
She was particularly keen on ensuring that I did not remain idle.
Sometimes she would ask questions that appeared ordinary, but they carried a deeper message: Livingston, what are you doing with your time? What are you learning? What is the next thing you are preparing for?
I gradually realised that mentorship is not always about sitting down for a formal mentorship session. Sometimes it is a phone call, a challenging question, a conversation, an opportunity or someone simply checking whether you are still moving in the right direction.
What makes her story even more remarkable to me is that she was not my biological relative. We did not come from the same family, and we did not share the same tribal background.
Yet, she chose to take an interest in my life.
That experience taught me something profound: humanity is not confined by blood relationships, tribal connections or family names. Sometimes, the people who invest the most in your future are people who had absolutely no obligation to do so.
They simply see potential in another human being and decide that it is worth nurturing.
That is the kind of person I have come to know in Counsel Amewo Jennifer Ogol.
The Law Development Centre Chapter: When someone refuses to let your circumstances define your future.
Perhaps one of the most defining moments in our relationship came when I was completing my fourth year at university.
As graduation approached, the next major step for me was the Law Development Centre (LDC), where I needed to undertake the Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice to qualify for admission to the Bar.
However, the financial realities were not encouraging.
The cost of pursuing the course was substantial, and I was not certain how I would manage the tuition and other requirements. I had reached a point where I was beginning to consider whether proceeding to LDC was even possible.
I remember discussing my plans with her.
When she asked about my intentions regarding LDC, I honestly told her that circumstances were not favourable. I did not see how I would raise the money required. I was contemplating postponing the dream because I could not see a clear financial path.
But she saw things differently. She reminded me that with determination and proper planning, the journey was possible. She spoke about how her monthly salary could make a meaningful contribution towards my tuition, maintenance and other necessities.
She was willing to support me wherever she could. I will never forget the assurance she gave me. She told me:
“Livingston, I can assure you that if you are going to LDC, I am going to support you. But what you should do is go and pass, and come back with that Postgraduate Diploma on your first attempt.”
Those words carried both encouragement and responsibility. She was not simply offering support. She was placing confidence in my ability to deliver. For a young man who was struggling to see how the next chapter of his education would unfold, that assurance was everything.
I proceeded to LDC with renewed determination. I carried with me the encouragement of people who believed in me and the responsibility of making the opportunity count. By God's grace, I successfully completed the Bar Course on my first attempt.
I returned with the Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice, just as she had challenged me to do. I remember how happy she was when I shared the news. There was a special kind of joy in seeing someone celebrate an achievement that they had helped make possible.
It was not simply the happiness of a mentor seeing a student succeed. It felt like the happiness of a mother seeing her child make progress. And for me, that moment remains one of the most treasured chapters of our relationship.
Beyond Mentorship: I Found Another Family
One of the most beautiful aspects of knowing Counsel Jennifer Ogol is that she did not keep our relationship confined to professional conversations. She opened the doors to her family.
Her home became a place where I was not simply a visitor. I was welcomed and treated like a son. It is difficult to explain what this means to someone who has not experienced it. You meet someone through a professional relationship, and before you know it, you are welcomed into their family. You begin to appreciate that some relationships go beyond the circumstances in which they started.
I have often described Counsel Jennifer Ogol as a sister, and she has equally related to me as a brother. But deep within my heart, I have always seen her as a mother figure: someone who wants to see me grow, someone who corrects me, someone who encourages me and someone who genuinely desires the best for my future.
Perhaps that is the beauty of our relationship. We have found a way to build a bond that is difficult to confine to a single description. I am grateful for it.
Watching someone celebrate your growth.
Today, I am pursuing my Master of Laws in Commercial Law, and she continues to take an interest in my academic and professional development.
Whenever I complete a course, achieve something meaningful or receive an opportunity, she is among the people whose happiness I can almost anticipate.
She celebrates my progress. She encourages me to keep going. She reminds me that there is still so much to learn and accomplish.
I recently completed a course at the University of Oxford in collaboration with UNESCO on Freedom of Expression, focusing on human rights, journalists, mass media and the protection of freedom of expression.
These are the kinds of milestones that make me appreciate the people who have walked with me over the years. When I reflect on my journey, I see a young university student who once struggled to imagine what his professional future would look like. Today, I am a lawyer, a Legal Officer and a postgraduate student continuing to pursue knowledge.
I am not where I want to be yet, but I am certainly not where I started. And I know that some people have played an extraordinary role in helping me get this far. Counsel Jennifer Ogol is one of them.
A lesson for young professionals: Never underestimate the power of mentorship
If there is one lesson I have learnt from this relationship, it is that professional growth is rarely a journey that should be undertaken alone. As young people, we sometimes focus so much on obtaining qualifications that we forget the importance of relationships with people who have walked the journey ahead of us.
We want to become lawyers, doctors, engineers, entrepreneurs and leaders, but we do not always make time to learn from those who have already navigated the challenges of those professions. Mentorship exposes you to realities that textbooks may never adequately explain.
It challenges your assumptions, sharpens your thinking, broadens your understanding and helps you see possibilities beyond your immediate circumstances.
I also learnt that mentorship is not always about finding someone who has a formal obligation to guide you. Sometimes, it begins with a lecturer who notices your contribution, a senior professional who appreciates your determination or someone who simply decides to take an interest in your future.
But young people must also be willing to learn. You must be teachable. You must be honest. You must demonstrate commitment. You must be willing to work hard even when nobody is watching. And when someone invests in you, you must understand that their investment comes with a responsibility to make something meaningful out of the opportunity.
I hope that one day I will become the kind of professional who sees potential in another young person and makes the same decision she made about me: to give someone a chance, to encourage them, to challenge their thinking and to help them move forward.
A personal note to counsel Jennifer Ogol
I do not know whether you ever imagined that the young student you taught Evidence Law in second year would one day sit down and write an entire story about your contribution to his life. APerhaps you simply saw a student who was enthusiastic about the legal profession. Perhaps you saw someone who was willing to learn and ready to take on responsibilities.
But whatever it was, I am grateful that you chose to walk with me. Thank you for seeing potential in me when I was still discovering myself. Thank you for the conversations that challenged my thinking, the questions that continue to guide my decisions and the professional experiences you shared with me.
Thank you for the phone calls, the follow-ups, the encouragement and the concern you have consistently demdemonstrated. Thank you for standing with me when the Law Development Centre seemed financially out of reach.
Thank you for believing that I could pass on my first attempt and for giving me the encouragement to pursue that dream. Thank you for opening your home and introducing me to a family that has treated me with so much love. Thank you for celebrating my achievements, no matter how small they may appear.
Most importantly, thank you for teaching me that one does not need to be related to someone to become an important part of their life. You have been a lecturer, a mentor, a professional inspiration, a friend and, in many ways, a mother to me.
I may never be able to repay everything you have done, but I hope that as I continue growing, you will look at my journey and find satisfaction in knowing that your investment was not in vain. I am still learning. I am still growing. I am still pursuing the vision. And I promise to keep pushing.
Finally, some people are gifts along our journey.
As I conclude, I am reminded that life is not only about the qualifications we acquire, the offices we occupy or the positions we eventually attain. It is also about the people who help us become better versions of ourselves.
Some people teach you a subject. Others teach you how to think. Some people give you assignments. Others give you opportunities. Some people assess your academic performance. Others invest in your potential long before the world recognises it.
Counsel Jennifer Ogol has been all these things and much more to me. My journey in the legal profession is still unfolding, and I remain committed to becoming a better lawyer, researcher, academic and professional. But whenever I look back at the people who helped shape my foundation, her name will always stand out.
What began in a university lecture room became a relationship that has travelled beyond campus, beyond graduation and beyond the ordinary boundaries of mentorship. And for that, I will forever be grateful.
Some people do not merely teach you how to pass an examination. They inspire you to become the professional you once only imagined becoming.
Your investment in me continues to live through the person I am becoming.
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