I am in total agreement with the learned silk that the decline we see is not Peculiar to our country. But I honestly believe that in terms of magnitude and extent, our scope of decline will rank highly when compared with other similar jurisdictions. It is our duty as Lawyers to stem this unsavoury tide in the interest of our profession. We should not perceive it as the duty of some agency or government functionaries. I will in conclusion make the following recommendations which may be helpful to our course. They are: (i) The study of ethics should be commenced in the Universities at 400 level by way of introduction for Law Students; (ii) The various branches of the NBA should put in place effective monitoring for compliance with the Rules of Professional Conduct, by members of the legal profession; (iii) Speedy disposition of cases coming before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee; (iv) More stringent scrutiny by the Body of Benchers; (Screening Committee) of aspirants before their Call to the Bar; (v) General exhortation to all Lawyers to uphold the ethics of the profession; (vi) Vigilance by members of the Bar of activities of others and whistle blowing where necessary; and lastly (vii) The Bench should play its part at all times in and out of the court room, by ensuring that Lawyers conform to the norms of the profession. I thank you all for your attention. O. A. ONADEKO, ESQ, LLB. (Ife) LL,M (London) Deputy Director-General & Head of Lagos Campus Nigerian Law School 16
I am in total agreement with the learned silk that the decline we see is not Peculiar to our country. But I honestly believe that in terms of magnitude and extent, our scope of decline will rank highly when compared with other similar jurisdictions. It is our duty as Lawyers to stem this unsavoury tide in the interest of our profession. We should not perceive it as the duty of some agency or government functionaries. I will in conclusion make the following recommendations which may be helpful to our course. They are: (i) The study of ethics should be commenced in the Universities at 400 level by way of introduction for Law Students; (ii) The various branches of the NBA should put in place effective monitoring for compliance with the Rules of Professional Conduct, by members of the legal profession; (iii) Speedy disposition of cases coming before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee; (iv) More stringent scrutiny by the Body of Benchers; (Screening Committee) of aspirants before their Call to the Bar; (v) General exhortation to all Lawyers to uphold the ethics of the profession; (vi) Vigilance by members of the Bar of activities of others and whistle blowing where necessary; and lastly (vii) The Bench should play its part at all times in and out of the court room, by ensuring that Lawyers conform to the norms of the profession. I thank you all for your attention. O. A. ONADEKO, ESQ, LLB. (Ife) LL,M (London) Deputy Director-General & Head of Lagos Campus Nigerian Law School 16
PROFESSIONAL-ETHICS-AND-THE-LEGAL-PROFESSION-IN-NIGERIA-O.A.ONADEKOEsq.docx