The Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC) has disowned the introduction and use of a purported title known as “Blue Silk” within sections of the legal community, declaring that it does not recognise any such rank.
In a statement on Thursday signed by the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and Secretary of the LPPC, Kabir Akanbi, the committee said its attention had been drawn to “the introduction and recent use of the purported title or designation referred to as ‘Blue Silk’ within certain quarters of the legal community.”
The LPPC, a statutory body established under the Legal Practitioners Act and vested with the responsibility of conferring the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, stressed that the SAN title remains the highest professional distinction for lawyers in the country.
Akanbi stated that the rank of SAN “remains the highest mark of professional distinction for legal practitioners in Nigeria and is awarded strictly in accordance with the provisions of the Legal Practitioners Act and the Guidelines issued by the LPPC.”
He declared that the committee does not recognise any parallel rank to the SAN title.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the LPPC does not recognise any parallel, intermediate, or alternative rank styled as ‘Blue Silk’ or by any other nomenclature purporting to suggest official status, hierarchy, or recognition within the legal profession,” the statement read.
“The introduction, conferment, or use of such a title has no statutory backing and does not emanate from the LPPC or any authority recognised under the Legal Practitioners Act,” it added.Legal News Aggregator
The committee advised members of the legal profession and the general public to take note of its position, warning that lawyers who create or parade themselves with the disputed title could be in breach of professional rules.
“The LPPC views the actions of legal practitioners involved in the establishment of such purported ranks, as well as individuals who present or parade themselves as ‘Blue Silks,’ as conduct that may amount to violations of the provisions of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners 2023,” the statement said.
Akanbi further disclosed that at its meeting held on February 12, 2026, the LPPC resolved to “take appropriate steps” in line with its statutory mandate “to preserve the integrity of the legal profession and the sanctity of the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria.”
Reaffirming its stance, the committee said it remained firmly committed to upholding “the integrity, prestige, and exclusivity of the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria” and would continue to discharge its responsibilities strictly in
accordance with the law.
In this article