Dr Olugbemisola Titilayomi Odusote, Director-General of the Nigerian Law School has raised the possibility of placing a limit on the number of times candidates may attempt the Bar Final examinations, while also calling on the Nigerian Bar Association to support the provision of hostel accommodation across Law School campuses.
Odusote spoke on Thursday while presenting the report of the Council of Legal Education at the Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Bar Association in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Addressing the issue of candidates who repeatedly fail the Bar Final examinations, the DG said stakeholders may need to consider whether opportunities to resit should continue indefinitely.
“More than four times. And so maybe we need to also advise if there is an, I mean, if we are not comfortable with this number, whether, I mean, it should be an indefinite attempt at the Bar, or we have a particular number of attempts, and then if they are not successful at the Bar Final, then maybe the Bar is not for them at this point in time. They can explore other professions,” she said.
Odusote, however, did not announce the adoption of any new policy limiting Bar Final attempts. Rather, she raised the issue for consideration in light of candidates who have repeatedly sat the examination without success.
She also expressed concern over the treatment of Nigerian Law School students posted to law firms and courts under the externship programme.
According to her, feedback from the recently concluded portfolio assessment showed that some students were not sufficiently engaged by lawyers and law firms during their placements, while some returned without the required confidential reports.
Odusote described the externship as a form of practical pupillage intended to expose aspiring lawyers to the realities of legal practice and appealed to practitioners to take the responsibility seriously.
She warned that students who fail the portfolio assessment may be allowed to sit the Bar Final examinations, but their results would be withheld until they repeat the required component.
“Those who fail the portfolio assessment would write the Bar Final exams, but their results will be withheld until they go back to repeat,” she said.
The DG also urged law firms not to cover for students who fail to attend their placements regularly.
“If they do not come, report that they were absent for 80—I mean 80 percent. They didn’t make the attendance. They only came 20 percent. We will take it up, and then we will refer them the next year,” she said.
Turning to infrastructure, Odusote appealed directly to the NBA to support the Nigerian Law School by constructing hostels across its campuses.
She said some campuses were in deplorable condition while others were overstretched, partly because many students prefer placement in Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt.
“Some campuses are in deplorable condition. Some campuses are overstretched,” she said.
“If we have NBA hostels in these campuses, then it will ease the plight of those who are coming to join us this time next year.”
Odusote urged the NBA and other stakeholders to see investment in legal education as part of their responsibility to the profession.
“So I think part of giving back to society is that we should let charity begin at home and come back to the Nigerian Law School and help us,” she said.
She also disclosed that the Federal Capital Territory Administration in the person of Minister, Nysome Wike had supported the Nigerian Law School with land documentation and residential accommodation.
According to her, the FCT Minister facilitated the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy and provided 10 four-bedroom bungalows, while construction of an additional 10 had commenced, with the intervention expected to eventually reach 32 units.
The AGM also examined the persistent problem of universities admitting Law students beyond quotas approved by the Council of Legal Education.
Responding to a question on which body has the power to sanction defaulting universities, Odusote said the Council of Legal Education has the authority and is already exercising it.
“The Council of Legal Education has the power to sanction, and we are sanctioning,” she said.
She explained that the problem of excess admissions had contributed significantly to the backlog of Law graduates awaiting admission into the Nigerian Law School.
Odusote also advised parents and prospective students to make proper inquiries before accepting admission into university Law programmes, particularly regarding accreditation and approved admission quotas.
The discussion further turned to whether the Nigerian Law School curriculum was keeping pace with artificial intelligence, technology and developments in modern legal practice.
Responding to concerns that students were not receiving sufficient exposure to emerging technologies, Odusote said curriculum review remained an ongoing process but stressed that the approximately six-month Law School programme could not bear the entire responsibility for producing fully equipped lawyers.
“The issue of revamping our curriculum, it is a continuous thing,” she said.
She maintained that universities, the Nigerian Law School and practising lawyers must collectively take responsibility for developing competent legal practitioners.
Odusote also expressed concern that some practising lawyers undermine aspects of Law School training after students enter practice, including professional dressing, ethics and other soft skills.
She urged practitioners to reinforce, rather than discard, the professional standards taught at the Nigerian Law School.
The DG maintained that cooperation among the Council of Legal Education, the Nigerian Law School, universities, the NBA and individual practitioners would be necessary to improve the quality of lawyers entering the profession.
Following her presentation and responses to questions from members, the report of the Council of Legal Education was formally moved for adoption and seconded at the AGM.
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