Lawyer Justin bent on honouring Mum’s wish

The National People
Toliman Wohuinangu and his mother Mary Toliman.

By BEVERLY PETER
LAWYER Justin Toliman Wohuinangu is living up to his name and becoming the person his mother wants him to.
Justin, 38, is the eldest of three brothers. Mum Mary Toliman, a school teacher from East New Britain, named him Justin which she derived from the word “justice”.
“My mum named me Justin because she wanted me to be a fair and just man to all people. So I just kind of grew into it. Whether I become that man, only time will tell.”
He is married with four children. His father Alphonse Wohuinangu, also a lawyer, is from Haniak village in Kubalia, Yangoru Saussia, East Sepik.
His parents separated when he and his brothers were young. Their mother brought them up.
“My childhood was hard living with a single mother. But we learnt to be content and get by. My greatest lesson was that education, reading books and learning from great people was the best way to achieve success.”
He graduated as lawyer in 2006 and was recently elected one of the six councillors of the PNG Law Society.
Justin started his education at the Matupit Farm International School in Rabaul in 1990, then attended the Sacred Heart International School in Rabaul from 1991 to 1993.
They moved with their mother to Port Moresby in 1993 when she was posted there. They attended St Pauls Primary School in Gerehu from 1994 to 1996.
Mum was next posted to the Passam National High School to be the acting principal. So they had to move again.
Justin completed grades seven and eight at Bishop Leo High School in Wewak in 1997 and 1998.
Then his mother was posted back to Port Moresby in 1999. So he went through grades nine to 12 at Gordon Secondary School from 1999 to 2002.
He was selected to study law at University of Papua New Guinea in 2003 and graduated in 2006 with a Bachelor of Law degree. He attended the legal training institute in 2007 and was certified to practise law.
In 2006 during his final year at UPNG, he was part of a team of four lawyers – Stephen Pokawin, Mona Lisa Giheno, Jeffrey Kennedy and himself – who won the Sibley Hill moot court competition in Brisbane, Australia.
“It was only the second time in PNG history for us to win this prestigious cup.”
He believes that to achieve success will take time.
“Great lawyers are never built in five to 10 years. Be patient, build your legal skills properly.”
He has been mentored by some great lawyers in the past 14 years in practice.
One of his mentors is Kerenga Kua before he became a politician. Others are Kisakiu Posman of Posman Kua Aisi Lawyers, Goiye Gileng, Ian Molloy and Justice Greg Egan of the Federal Court of Australia.

“ My mum named me Justin because she wanted me to be a fair and just man to all people. So I just kind of grew into it.”
From left: Sinasina-Yongomugl MP Kerenga Kua, late Anderson Agiru, Ian Molly, Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare, Marshall Cook and Justin Toliman Wohuinangu. – Pictures supplied.

“One of my greatest experiences was assisting Kerenga Kua, Kisakiu Posman and Goiye Gileng defending Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare in his leadership tribunal in 2011 and the political impasse that followed with Peter O’Neill and Sir Michael.”
From 2008 to 2010, he worked as a commercial projects lawyer with Posman at Posman Kua Aisi Lawyers and with Kua as a commercial litigation lawyer from 2010 to 2012.
He then worked with Gileng as a litigation commercial lawyer from 2012 to 2016.
Apart from lawyering and reading cases, he uses his free time to read biographies and business books which are relevant to his work.
“If I understand business and how they make decisions, I can provide great legal solutions to their problems.”
Justine knows he has been “pushed to my limit”.
“And through that process, I found out a lot about myself. I can only get better. It has been an incredible experience but greater rewards are still out there.”