Reported by: Ime Richard Aondofa | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
The Nigerian Senate has approved the second reading of a bill to amend the Legal Practitioners Act, 2004, introducing sweeping reforms aimed at modernizing the country’s legal profession. Central to the bill is a proposal for a mandatory two-year pupillage for all newly called lawyers, aligning Nigeria with global legal training standards observed in countries such as the UK, Canada, South Africa, and Kenya.
During plenary sessions led by Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, lawmakers emphasized that the current Legal Practitioners Act, first enacted nearly six decades ago, is outdated and insufficient to address today’s evolving legal environment. The bill seeks to incorporate modern developments such as digital court processes, cross-border practice, technology integration, and heightened public demand for accountability and professional ethics.
A major focus of the legislation is the restructuring and empowerment of the Body of Benchers, granting it corporate legal personality, financial autonomy, a strengthened secretariat, rule-making authority, and a formalized institutional structure for committees and oversight. The reforms also aim to overhaul the disciplinary framework through the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC), allowing multiple panels across the country, granting clearer sanctioning powers—including suspension, strike-off, restitution, costs, and public apology—and mandating the publication of disciplinary outcomes to enhance transparency. Lawyers will retain the right to appeal decisions to the Supreme Court.
In addition, the bill proposes the establishment of a new Ethics, Adherence, and Enforcement Committee, empowered to investigate law offices, demand documentation, and prosecute professional misconduct. These reforms are designed to promote discipline within the profession and restore public confidence in the legal system.
The Senate has referred the bill to the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, and Legal Matters, directing it to conduct public hearings within the next two weeks to gather input from stakeholders and the general public.
Observers note that, if passed into law, the bill would represent one of the most comprehensive reforms of Nigeria’s legal profession in decades, creating a structured, modernized framework for admission, discipline, professional standards, and practical training for new lawyers, while strengthening institutional governance at the highest levels of the profession.
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