As You Become Lawyers
Abstract
Beginning from the 30th of August, 1888, when the first Nigerian Lawyer, Mr. Christopher Alexander Sapara Williams, CMG, was enrolled as Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Lagos, the Legal Profession in Nigeria had undergone tremendous development. From the local intelligentia functioning as self-taught local attorneys in those days, Nigeria had, over the years, produced some of the finest legal minds who have made their marks around the globe. By all measurements therefore, the legal profession in this country deserves commendation for having come a long way in its metamorphosis.
Today, once again, marks another historic occasion on which our students who have successfully passed their Bar examinations are admitted to the Nigerian Bar. As chairman of the distinguished body of Benchers, it is my honour and privilege to congratulate and felicitate with each and everyone of you, and your parents or guardians, for this unique achievement.
Undoubtedly, this is your happiest moment, one in which you are filled with feelings of accomplishment, hopes and expectations, having arrived at the threshold of your aspiration; a career in the legal profession. Whilst you celebrate this achievement however, you should remember that, like a child attaining adulthood, your calling confers on you the membership of the learned and honourable profession of law; a profession which holds custody of societal ethics, norms and values. As you become lawyers today, having completed the two stages of academic and vocational training, you are commencing a practical journey into a noble profession which demands of its members the highest degree of conduct and etiquette. Good conduct has always been a condition precedent to entry into the legal profession. Under section 4 of the Legal Practitioners Act (Cap 207), a person shall not be entitled to be called to the Bar unless, inter alia, he satisfies the Body of Benchers that he is of good character. Your qualification for today's ceremony therefore, was not only determined by your success in the Bar examinations, but also by a thorough process through which the distinguished Body of Benchers had certified each and everyone of you as worthy of being a member of the profession. It is therefore incumbent on you to live up to this initial certification by avoiding, in the pursuit of your various endeavours, anything that would tarnish the image and integrity of the profession.
