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The Nigerian Senate on Wednesday passed a bill amending the Legal Practitioners Act, 2004, moving it to second reading. The proposed legislation introduces a two-year mandatory pupillage for newly-called lawyers and seeks to modernize the regulation of the country’s legal profession to reflect contemporary realities.
The bill also aims to restructure and strengthen the Body of Benchers, the apex regulatory authority, for the first time in Nigeria’s history. The reforms emphasize corporate legal personality, financial autonomy, a reinforced secretariat, clarified rule-making powers, and an institutional structure for committees and oversight.
During Wednesday’s plenary session, Senate Leader Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (Ekiti Central) led the debate, highlighting the need to align Nigeria’s legal profession with global standards, referencing practices in the United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa, and Kenya.
Presided over by Deputy Senate President Senator Barau Jibrin, the Senate endorsed the holistic reform, mandating the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, and Legal Matters to conduct public hearings and report back within two weeks.
Senator Bamidele noted that the Legal Practitioners Act, 2004, “was designed for a legal environment that no longer exists,” adding that today’s legal practice is shaped by technology, digital court processes, complex commercial transactions, cross-border legal issues, and increased public demand for accountability and ethical conduct.
“The regulatory framework must evolve to meet these new realities,” Bamidele said. “This bill restructures and empowers the Body of Benchers, ensuring corporate legal personality, financial autonomy, a strengthened Secretariat, clear rule-making authority, and a structured system for committees and oversight.”
The Senate leader emphasized that the reform would establish a coordinated, modern regulatory framework addressing admission to the Nigerian Bar, professional standards, and disciplinary processes. He highlighted the slow and ineffective disciplinary mechanisms under the current law and explained that the bill would revamp the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC), allowing multiple panels nationwide, clearer sanctioning powers including suspension, striking-off, restitution, compensation, and formal apology mandatory publication of disciplinary outcomes, and practitioners’ right of appeal to the Supreme Court.
The legislation further empowers regulators to inspect law offices, demand documents, investigate public complaints, ensure compliance, and prosecute cases before the LPDC.
Among the bill’s notable reforms is the introduction of a two-year mandatory pupillage for newly-called lawyers, except under approved special circumstances, as well as compulsory continuing professional development for license renewal. These measures aim to ensure lawyers remain competent and up-to-date throughout their careers.
The bill also criminalizes unauthorized legal practice, protects citizens from fraud, regulates foreign lawyers, reforms the Senior Advocate of Nigeria rank, and strengthens client protection and financial safeguards.
Supporting the initiative, Chief Whip Senator Tahir Monguno (Borno North) reflected on the evolution of legal practice over the past 35 years, urging colleagues to back the reforms. He noted, “We are in the digital age, and our legal profession must reflect these realities. This bill is timely and essential for the advancement of the profession.”
