A.T Socio-Judicial Consulting, LLC | Legal Consulting Firm and Organization

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A.T. Socio-Judicial Consulting, LLC

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About Us

A.T. Socio-Judicial Consulting, LLC, also known as ATSJC is a New York State registered consulting firm that focuses on socio-judicial development across the globe– by developing judiciaries, building public confidence in courts, advancing judicial jurisprudence, and fostering international connections and networking between judges of different countries. Through research, literature, presentations, symposiums, conferences and workshops, and a series of trainings, we aim to enlighten judges, the media, stakeholders of the criminal justice system, and the general public about the real and ideal roles of courts in society, to bridge the widening gap between law and society, and to restore public confidence in our justice systems.

Our Video

Hon. Justice Niki Tobi Biennial Symposiums

A concept that engages in tenacious research about Socio-Judicial developments in our immediate communities, and the contemporary world. Through this concept, we attempt to define the roles of judges in society, and redefine what justice means to society, while explaining to the society, the modus operandi of the judicial process with emphasis on the various challenges that judges encounter in executing their roles in democratic societies.

Who ‘is’ Niki Tobi

He is the living law. The symbol of courts and society. A deceased Nigerian judge whose judicial pronouncements challenged, shaped, and defined the court’s roles in society. A simple man whose books, articles, lectures, seminar presentations, speeches, judicial pronouncements, jokes, reprimands, and integrity lives in us, and with us every day in our hearts, homes, offices, chambers, courts, and society. He ‘is’ a tree with many branches that spreads from the bar to the bench, from facets of government to the public domain. He was an all-around achiever– a practicing Christian who loved Jesus Christ. He was a loving and respectful husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, a reliable friend, a trusted elder statesman with a fondness for tradition–especially with his regalia (he wore the Ijaw traditional regalia at almost every occasion), yet he detested tradition when it dared discriminate against women in his landmark judgment Mojekwu v. Mojekwu.

He was a humble mentee and mentor, a patriotic national leader who led/executed major national strategic assignments that bothered on Nigeria’s democracy and security: the drafting of the 1999 Constitution, the constitutional conference (popularly known as CONFAB), and the Plateau/Jos crisis. Niki Tobi was a professor of law turned jurist. He started his legal career as a state counsel, then moved into academia as a professor of public and private law (with expertise in jurisprudence and Constitutional law). He was a dean of law, a deputy vice-chancellor, an acting vice-chancellor. From academia, he moved to the bench, and rose from the high court to the court of appeal and then to the Supreme Court of Nigeria. He retired as the second most senior judge in Nigeria, as next to the chief justice. He left to glory on June 16, 2016, and was buried on December 2nd, 2016. We immortalize him today with gratitude for the gift he left with us – His brain (expressed in books and law reports). His intellectual and erudite reasoning contributes immensely to advancing judicial jurisprudence in Africa.

Like America’s Justice Benjamin Nathan Cardozo, and England’s Lord Alfred Thompson Denning, Niki Tobi’s utterances, literature, philosophy, and decisions were/is a significant influence on the development of Nigerian/African law. He made bold judgments that contradicted the law and status quo, where necessary, in the interest of society. For Niki Tobi thinks of law and throughout his judicial decisions, he made it clear that the law could wear a human face when necessary.

Why Should We Immortalize Niki Tobi?

To celebrate the African judicial jurisprudence and judicial culture.
To enlighten the local and international communities of the roles, efforts, and dilemmas of judges and the judicial system.
The judiciary that many devoted judges (like Niki Tobi) served deserves the honor for the thankless public service to society.
Society should remember and celebrate judicial contributions to democracy, law, justice, social, economic, political, educational, cultural, sociopolitical, socioeconomic advancements in our society, as a reminder of the indispensable role judges play in our society
Niki Tobi represents “our heroes past…” whose labours “…shall never be in vain…” So his legacy and that of other judges deserves to thrive.
Niki Tobi is one of the most celebrated Nigerian judges that has contributed to the intellectual, jurisprudence and socio-judicial development of the Nigerian legal/judicial system.

How We Want to Immortalize Niki Tobi

To organize regular memorial symposium series on judicial development and publish presentations from such symposiums as reference materials.
To organize dinners and other events to celebrate his core values- courage, humility, fairness, integrity, transparency, diligence, and hard work.
To publish second editions of his major books.
To publish tributes on social media platforms, days to the symposium.
At least one law firm from every state to send a tribute to the email tributetonikitobi@gmail.com a week before any symposium.
To continue celebrating Nigerian judges and their judicial pronouncements and jurisprudence.

The Purpose of the Biennial Symposiums

To immortalize the late jurist and recollect his contributions to law and society.
To celebrate the Nigerian judiciary and the Nigerian judicial culture through landmark judgments of the late jurist and other judges that impacted society.
To advertise Africa’s judicial jurisprudence through judicial pronouncements and publications of judges and magistrates.
To advance judicial jurisprudence of judges from different countries.
To inspire/instigate further research on legal/judicial development.
To enlighten local and international communities about the Nigerian judiciary.
To facilitate and foster intellectual, legal/judicial relationships and mentor/mentee relationships locally and internationally (between Nigerian and foreign judges/academics/students).
To discuss contemporary issues in judicial development, through a review of the judicial process of various countries and propose a way forward.
To create a synergy between various judicial systems across the world to inspire cross-development.
To kick-start regular in-person/virtual rendezvous where judges from different jurisdictions across the globe meet to compare and discuss experiences.