Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Afam Osigwe (SAN), has issued a sweeping call for the restructuring of legal practice in Nigeria, warning that the dominant sole‑proprietorship model is unsustainable and has left countless law firms collapsing after the death or retirement of their founders. Speaking on Friday, 1 May 2026, at The Convergence Africa Masterclass for Law in Abuja, Osigwe urged lawyers to abandon founder‑dependent structures and instead embrace institutionalised partnerships, shared responsibility, and succession planning that can carry firms across generations. His remarks, made at the event themed “Beyond the Founder: Designing Multigenerational Law Firms that Endure and Scale,” have reignited debate about the long‑term viability of Nigeria’s legal industry.
“We have a situation where most of our practitioners are sole proprietors who set up businesses, and the life and the health of the businesses are oftentimes tied to the life or the health of the owners,” Osigwe told the gathering. “We seek a new paradigm — a shift from what is at the moment, where we build businesses that endure, leverage on the strength of those who work there, and allow the older lawyers to come in as partners to create synergies so that even if the founder dies or is sick, the businesses can operate.” The NBA president noted that while the Bar has produced generations of brilliant lawyers, many of their law firms have disappeared after their founders stepped away or passed on. “There are legends in the legal profession that we’ve seen before with amazing law firms. But their law firms are no more because they’re now old and no longer in practice,” he said. He stressed that adopting partnership‑based models would allow firms to pool intellectual and financial resources, attract and retain talent, and build enterprises that could outlive any single individual. “To fashion a business model where lawyers will come in from businesses that have endured not only decades but for centuries, and build law firms that pull resources together to make the best — not only in gathering different intellectual contributions from different members, but in leveraging their business acumen to grow businesses that give first‑class services, endure, and can continue to give dividends to the family of the members, the founders, even when they are dead,” Osigwe said.
The event’s convener, Patience Olusuyi, explained that the masterclass was born from a stark observation: that while some law firms globally are over 200 years old, in Nigeria even the most celebrated legal names often vanish once their founders retire. “I’ve seen law firms that partnered and are thriving. Globally, we’ve seen that some law firms are over 200 years old. And I ask myself, in Nigeria, how old is the oldest law firm?” she said. She argued that the time had come for younger practitioners to harmonise their energies and build formidable firms that can outlive them. “Great law firms are not those that write thousands of pages on newspapers after the death of the founder of the law firm, but rather a great law firm is one that still has its signposts a decade after the founder is dead and still serving people. That’s why I started this,” Olusuyi said.
In his keynote address, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Paul‑Harris Ogbole argued that the longevity of a law firm depends less on flashy advertising and more on internal structures, shared vision and deliberate succession planning. “It’s not essentially about advertising. It’s about building a system that works, where the firm’s reputation and client base are not solely dependent on one individual,” Ogbole said. He urged practitioners to move beyond the “one‑man‑business” mindset and to invest in governance frameworks that ensure continuity.
Osigwe’s intervention comes amid growing concerns within Nigeria’s legal community that the profession has not kept pace with global best practices in law firm management. Industry watchers have long noted that while the Bar is populated by highly skilled individuals, many practice as solo practitioners or micro‑boutiques with little institutional resilience. A 2025 survey by the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria found that nearly 70 per cent of law firms in the country are sole proprietorships, and that only about 12 per cent have any form of documented succession plan. The same survey indicated that firms that operated as partnerships were three times more likely to survive beyond the founder’s active years.
The NBA president’s remarks have drawn a range of reactions. Some practitioners applauded the call as timely and necessary, pointing out that Nigeria’s legal market remains fragmented and that the absence of large, enduring law firms has limited the profession’s ability to compete for complex cross‑border transactions and high‑value commercial work. Others, however, expressed scepticism, arguing that cultural attitudes toward control and trust often make lawyers reluctant to take on partners. “Nigerian lawyers are fiercely independent. Many are unwilling to share decision‑making or profits, even when it is clear that a partnership would benefit everyone,” a Lagos‑based managing partner, who asked not to be named, told our reporter. He added that regulatory hurdles and the high cost of entry for new partners also serve as disincentives.
Osigwe, however, dismissed the notion that the shift would be easy, but insisted that it was necessary. “We will never know whether they are ready until we start practicalising it,” he said. “But lawyers are listening, and I can tell you, more law firms are going into partnerships. They are going into business models that will uplift them and move away from the current way of doing things, which is mine, my own sole proprietorship.”
The NBA’s push for structural reform extends beyond law firm management. In recent weeks, the association has inaugurated a Rules and Practice Committee tasked with reviewing civil and criminal procedure rules across Nigerian courts to aid the speedy dispensation of justice. The committee has been mandated to propose amendments and new rules aimed at simplifying processes and eliminating delays that have long plagued the judiciary. The NBA has also been active in pushing for judicial reforms, including the adoption of technology in court processes and the enforcement of the Legal Practitioners’ Remuneration Order.
But for the thousands of lawyers who run solo practices or small firms, the immediate challenge remains survival. With inflation eroding incomes and the cost of running a law office steadily rising, many see the partnership model as a luxury they cannot afford. Osigwe’s call, however, is not directed only at large firms; it is a plea to the entire profession to rethink how legal services are delivered and how institutions are built. “We must build law firms that not only serve their founders but also serve their communities, their partners, and their employees, long after the founders are gone,” he said.
The Convergence Africa Masterclass was the latest in a series of initiatives by the NBA president aimed at repositioning the legal profession for a more competitive future. Previous efforts have included the expansion of continuing legal education programmes, the digitisation of Bar operations, and a renewed focus on lawyer wellbeing. Yet, as Osigwe himself acknowledged, changing the culture of an entire profession will not happen overnight. It will require a shift not only in business structures but in mindsets. “We are not asking lawyers to abandon their individuality. We are asking them to embrace collaboration. That is the only way we can build law firms that will stand the test of time,” he said.
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