It's just two years since I've enrolled,  and already my practice is growing by leaps and bounds.  I am losing track of the number of inquiries I get from potential clients. I've always had a flair for mergers & acquisitions, takeovers, international banking, and cross border transactions law.  Now the world is beginning to recognize my talent too. 

"It's quite amazing," I sometimes think.  "How fast word spreads." Is it the confidence with which I carry myself in the courts? Is it the assertive tone of my voice when I make my submissions? When you are good, you don't have to put in extra efforts to impress. Your natural flair carries the day.  No networking, no attending seminars and flashing visiting cards, no surrogate advertising - nothing.  People just get wind of your sheer talent and approach you.

And it's not just locally that you are noticed. In this age of technological advancement, word spreads like wildfire.  People from across the world have been writing, wanting me  to assist them in their high stakes business ventures.  I've begun to realize that there is a global dearth of good talent.

In the last 24 hours, I learned:

a) That Odafe Nbujara, Bank Manager at the Nigerian Overseas Bank, discovered  an abandoned sum of $12.5 million in an account that belonged to Thomas Sbarjanda, chief military advisor to the Nigerien Government, who was overthrown and killed in a military coup in 2006.  To my sheer good luck, I have been identified as Sbarjanda's next of kin and Nbujara needs my help in transferring the funds to me.  "All I have to do is pronounce Sbarjanda's name correctly," Nbujara said in his e-mail, and gave me a phone number at which to call.

b) That I am entitled to One Million, Five Hundred Thousand Dollars as charity/aid from the Royal Dutch Shell Foundation (NETHERLANDS) International donation scheme. "Wow," I thought, on reading the e-mail.  "Perhaps, this Foundation of international repute has heard of my growing prominence, and wants to honour me before anyone else does."

c) That my e-mail address was the lucky winner of 4.5 million dollars in an online lottery promoted by Microsoft.  "Indeed, why not." I said to myself, on reading the good news. "Fortune not only favours the brave, it favours the exceptionally talented too."

Another person wrote to me from Hong Kong.  I will not disclose his name here because he has requested confidentiality. Anyway, his mail started by saying "It is understandable that you might be a little bit apprehensive because you do not know me, Please forgive this unusual manner to contact you, but this particular letter/email is of exceptional and very private nature."

"How polite," I thought.  "A thorough gentleman indeed.  Not only does he want to engage my services, he also wants me to forgive him for contacting me!  Sheer humility.  You  just don't find people like him these days."  Anyway, this kind soul wants my assistance in executing a business project worth $25.5 million.  How can I ever refuse?

Another  unfortunate widow has written to me from Rwanda, informing that her husband died two months ago, leaving behind $50 million to her.  She fears that her greedy relatives are trying to grab the money and needs my urgent assistance in transferring the money to my account, and handing it over to her when she meets me in person.  She has promised me 25% as fees.  "Well," I thought. "She definitely needs someone trustworthy like me to help her."   Only someone with in depth knowledge of foreign exchange laws, transnational contracts, international banking, and inheritance laws can help her.  No wonder she has written to me. Perhaps, she made her own discreet inquiries and launched an international search for the right person to assist her.  I feel proud to be the chosen one.

Success can really be intoxicating, you see.  Now,  I really get worried when I don't receive such client inquiries regularly. Anyway, I'm not going to rest on my laurels.  Sweat, toil, and hard work  are stepping stones to even more sweat, toil, and hard work.