The Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council, University of Lagos, Dr. Wale Babalakin (SAN), has called for the ‘restructuring’ of the legal profession in Nigeria.
This restructuring, Babalakin said, should start with a review of the curriculum in the faculties of Law in the universities.
He added that training at the law school must be more practical than theoretical.
These and more, he said, must be done for the legal professionals to be able to play their role of guiding the nation “in a manner consistent with the due process of law.”
A statement on Thursday quoted Babalakin as saying this in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital while delivering the 10thJustice J.M. Adesiyun Memorial Lecture.
He said, “The role of the legal profession in Nigeria has caused me severe heartache and I am hopeful that we can place this profession back on the right path.
“We cannot afford a blame game, which will lead us nowhere. We simply have to draw a line and start again.
“The legal profession must be restructured from the start. The curriculum in the universities must place the capacity to think on the highest pedestal. The law school must become more practical than theoretical. The Bar must become more efficient. The amount of time wasted at the Bar makes the legal profession very unattractive to young men and women who have a lot of options.”
The SAN said lawyers who sought frivolous adjournments of court cases must be deterred by imposing a monetary cost on them.
“Cases must go on the dates and time they are slated to go on. Courts must adjudicate on matters on the dates they are slated to go on. Courts must not sit at the convenience of counsel. Counsel must make himself available on the dates chosen by the courts. Counsel cannot agree to adjourn cases without substantial financial consequences. The pleasant fallout from this is that law firms must become larger. The time of lawyers will become more valuable. It is not fair to the younger lawyers that they spend a whole day in the court and their matters are not heard because a couple of Senior Advocates had matters in court on the same day.”
Babalakin also called for a review of the criteria for the award of Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
He said, “The criteria for appointing Senior Advocates in Nigeria must be reappraised. The current criteria have the tendency to congest the courts. Many cases are filed today not because of the seriousness of the issues between the parties, but because lawyers require a certain number of cases to qualify to apply for the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria.”
He went on to make a case for improved welfare for judges.
“There is a need to immediately enhance the status of the Judiciary and reposition it to where it was before 1975. Remuneration of judges must be enhanced. The idea of a judge not having enough resources to live comfortably anywhere in the country is simply unacceptable.
“The appointment of judges must be on merit. I do not subscribe to the opinion that the need to comply with Federal Character in the appointment of judges is the reason for the weak appointments made to the bench. I have had the privilege of working in all parts of Nigeria. Every part of Nigeria has very exceptional men and women who are deserving of judicial appointments and can be appointed in their zones,” he said.
The lecture was chaired by the Chief Judge of Kwara State, Justice S.D. Kawu.
Among those in attendance were a former Appeal Court President, Justice Ayo Salami (retd.); Kwara State House of Assembly Speaker, Dr. Ali Ahmad; a former Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Bayo Ojo (SAN); and Mallam Yusuf Ali (SAN).
Also present were Mr. Lawal Rabana (SAN); Alhaji Aliyu Salman (SAN); and Chief Duro Adeyele (SAN), among others.
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