72 Senior Lawyers to be Admitted to the Inner Bar, 8 December 2021

72 Senior Lawyers to be Admitted to the Inner Bar, 8 December 2021

The Chief Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, CFR, is scheduled to admit 72 senior lawyers into the Inner Bar, with the conferment on them of the prestigious rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) on Wednesday, 8th December 2021. Their elevation follows a rigorous screening process by the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee (LPPC).
The ceremony which in previous years was always part of activities marking the beginning of the legal year is coming late this year because of the disruption brought about by the strike, earlier this year, by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) and the prevailing third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. These two events, according to the Director of Press and Information, of the Supreme Court, Dr Akande Festus, slowed down the work of the LPPC, hence the late conferment of the rank in 2021.
Despite the delay, the conferment sill still mark the official commencement despite the fact that courts have been sitting since September 2021. The Chief Justice of Nigeria is expected to deliver what Dr. Akande described as a state-of-the-nation’s judiciary address which would highlight the performance of the Supreme Court and the Nigerian Judiciary in the previous legal year.
Out of the 159 applicants for the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria in the previous year, 72 were successful emerged successful. The number is made up of ten (10) academics and sixty-two (62) advocates.