The senate | File photo
President Bola Tinubu has asked the senate to consider and pass the Legal Practitioners Bill 2025.
In a letter read on Tuesday by Godswill Akpabio, the senate president, Tinubu said the bill seeks full overhaul of the country’s regulatory framework for the legal profession.
The president said the bill repeals the Legal Practitioners Act, enacted in 1962 and currently codified as Cap L11, Laws of the Federation 2004.
“The draft bill introduces a new legal framework, strengthening the regulation of the legal profession in Nigeria and providing necessary reforms to enhance professional standards, discipline, mechanisms, and public confidence in legal practice in Nigeria,” the letter reads.
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“The Senate may wish to note that legal practitioners play a crucial role in upholding justice, the rule of law, and access to justice.
“However, evolving challenges with respect to regulating professional conduct of practitioners, as well as establishing appropriate disciplinary measures and legal accountability, stronger professional ethics, and a more transparent regulatory structure for legal practitioners in Nigeria, all of which are critical in view of the growing domestic and international demands for legal services in this country.”
Tinubu said section one of the draft bill outlines objectives such as promoting public interest, advancing the rule of law and improving access to justice.
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He said section two sets out the core principles that should guide legal practitioners, including integrity, confidentiality and duty to clients and courts.
The president said section three establishes the body of benchers as the authority responsible for admitting qualified persons to the bar.
He said section 17 creates a disciplinary committee to determine cases of professional misconduct, while section 18 prescribes penalties ranging from suspension and restriction to reprimand and removal from the roll.
He added that sections 25 and 26 introduce a compulsory two-year pupillage, continuing legal education and the issuance of practising licences authenticated with official documents and seals.
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Tinubu urged the senate to give the bill “expeditious consideration”.
In his remarks, Akpabio referred the letter to the committee on rules and business and asked the panel to report back within four weeks.
