*Legal Practitioners Act does not distinguish between trial advocates and academics

A Former Deputy Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, Prof. Ernest Ojukwu SAN has responded to submissions by a Senior Advocate, J.S. Okutepa SAN that the rules of the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee does not contemplate the award of the SAN rank to law teachers.

According to Prof. Ojukwu, a renowned academic, the Legal Practitioners Act does not create a distinction between Trial Advocates and Academics in the manner been portrayed by Okutepa with respect to the SAN title.

In his response, He said, “Brother Okutepa you are making a new proposal on how to treat academics for SAN and you refer to guidelines that clearly stipulate that Academics shall be conferred SAN. I see no additional help in your further statement. LPA defines a legal practitioner and does not make a distinction between trial advocates and academics as to who is a more or better “legal practitioner”. LPA proclaims that “the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee… may … Confer on to a “legal practitioner” the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria”. Are academics called to the Nigerian Bar not legal practitioners under this law?”

He described as unfathomable the calls for a review of the award of the SAN title to academics when it is clearly accommodated under the current rules, and the described the argument as misplaced while using statistics to show that academics only constitute a meagre percentage of those awarded Silk every year, concluding that the call by J.S. Okutepa is unfortunate and without good intention.

He noted, “The LPA goes further to announce that such a person would have “achieved distinction in the legal profession…” I can’t fathom why there is a problem against the award of SAN to academics that is clearly recognised under the present Rule. I think these proposals by a few SANs have been misplaced.

Look at the percentages of SAN Academics in the last few years. SAN: % OF ACADEMICS 2022 – 16.9% 2021- 16.1% 2020- 16.1% 2019- 7.8% 2018- 16.1% 2017- 13% 2016- 9% 2015- 14.2% 2014- 11.7%. These calls against the award of SAN to law teachers are not of good intentions. It is actually unfortunate.