The Nigerian Law Society (NLS) has faulted the directive of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, restricting Nigerian lawyers from using the title ‘Barrister’ and recommending ‘Esquire’ instead.
The NLS argued that the directive has no clear backing in existing legislation.
The CJN had directed lawyers and court officials to immediately discontinue the use of “Barrister” as a prefix to their names in official engagements at the Supreme Court.
The directive was contained in a July 13, 2026 memo signed by the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court, Kabir Akanbi, and addressed to legal practitioners, court registrars and other lawyers.
According to the memo, the measure was aimed at maintaining professional standards within the apex court.
However, reacting to the development, the NLS, through its Executive Director, Dr Tonye Clinton Jaja, said the Legal Practitioners Act, 1962 recognises the titles “Barrister” and “Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria” for lawyers who have been called to the Bar.
Jaja argued that while the use of “Barrister” alone may not fully reflect the recognised professional titles of Nigerian lawyers, replacing it with “Esquire” does not resolve the issue because the alternative title is also not expressly provided for in the Legal Practitioners Act.
“Using ‘Barrister’ as a title is a half-truth that leaves out the title of ‘Solicitor’. As an alternative title, the title of ‘Esquire’ or its abbreviated version ‘Esq.’ was to be used as the appropriate suffix by Nigerian lawyers in their official correspondences to the Supreme Court of Nigeria,” he said.
He, however, maintained that the CJN’s directive was not supported by the Legal Practitioners Act, 1962.
“The problem with this recommended title of ‘Esquire’, or even other alternatives ‘Barrister-At-Law’ or ‘Attorney-At-Law’ is that they do not appear inside the Legal Practitioners Act, 1962,” Jaja said.
According to him, neither the CJN, the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC) nor the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has the authority to impose regulations on Nigerian lawyers regarding matters that are not expressly provided for in the Legal Practitioners Act.
The NLS also criticised the LPPC and a Federal High Court judge in Abuja, Justice James Omotosho, over arguments that the Senior Counsel of Nigeria (SCN) rank, popularly referred to as “Blue Silks”, should not be recognised because it is not expressly established by the Legal Practitioners Act.
The organisation rejected the comparison with the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), which is recognised under the Act, arguing that the absence of an explicit statutory provision does not automatically make a professional title unlawful.
Jaja accused the CJN and the LPPC of inconsistency over their position on the SCN rank.
He said, “The Blue Silks rank of Senior Counsel of Nigeria, SCN, is not stated inside the Legal Practitioners Act, 1962. This is the more reason why neither the NBA nor the LPPC has any powers of regulation over the Blue Silks rank as per the judgment of Hon. Justice Mohammed Garba Umar of the Federal High Court Abuja.”
He further described it as contradictory for the Supreme Court to restrict the use of “Barrister”, which he said is recognised in the Legal Practitioners Act, while recommending “Esquire” and other titles that are not expressly contained in the same legislation.
“It is an act of contradiction and hypocrisy for both the CJN and the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court of Nigeria to impose a ban upon a title ‘Barrister’ that is explicitly listed inside the Legal Practitioners Act, 1962 and replace it with alternatives that are not explicitly stated inside any statutes,” he added.
Jaja also alleged that the position amounted to discriminatory treatment, citing Section 42 of the 1999 Constitution, because lawyers are permitted to use certain titles that are not expressly provided for by statute while other titles are being challenged on the same basis.
He further argued that the King’s Counsel (KC) tradition, which Nigeria adopted and later modified into the title of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, was not originally established through legislation.
According to him, the KC rank originated in the United Kingdom centuries ago as a traditional distinction conferred on outstanding lawyers by the monarch, with Francis Bacon recognised as the first holder.
Jaja concluded that professional titles used by lawyers do not necessarily have to be created directly by legislation.
He maintained that the SCN rank, conferred by the Nigerian Law Society and the Body of Senior Counsel of Nigeria (BOSCON), was established through guidelines made pursuant to constitutional and statutory provisions.
BACKSTORY:
The controversy followed a directive issued by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, directing lawyers and court officials to stop using the title “Barrister” as a prefix to their names in official engagements at the Supreme Court.
The directive was contained in a memorandum dated July 13, 2026, and signed by the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court, Kabir Akanbi. The memo was addressed to legal practitioners, court registrars and other lawyers, with the Supreme Court saying the measure was aimed at upholding professional standards at the apex court.
The directive recommended the use of “Esquire” or “Esq.” instead.
However, the Nigerian Law Society (NLS) has challenged the legal basis of the directive.
Speaking through its Executive Director, Dr Tonye Clinton Jaja, the society argued that the Legal Practitioners Act, 1962 recognises “Barrister” and “Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria” as professional titles for lawyers who have been called to the Nigerian Bar.
The NLS contended that while “Barrister” may not fully capture both recognised professional titles, the proposed replacement of “Esquire” is also not expressly provided for in the Legal Practitioners Act.
The organisation further argued that the Chief Justice of Nigeria, the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee and the Nigerian Bar Association cannot impose regulations on lawyers regarding matters that are not expressly provided for under the relevant legislation.
The dispute has also extended to the Senior Counsel of Nigeria (SCN) rank, popularly known as the “Blue Silks”. The NLS maintained that the absence of a title from the Legal Practitioners Act does not automatically make its use unlawful.
The development has therefore sparked a wider debate within Nigeria’s legal profession over the authority to regulate professional titles and whether such titles must have direct statutory backing.
