Senate backs mandatory two-year apprenticeship for law graduates

Senate, yesterday, forwarded a bill proposing that every newly called lawyer must undergo a mandatory two-year pupillage before full practice.

The proposal, which scaled second reading, is part of a larger amendment to the Legal Practitioners Act, 2004, that lawmakers said has failed to keep pace with the realities of modern legal practice.

Debating the bill, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele said the legal framework currently guiding the profession was built for a world “that no longer exists,” noting that contemporary practice had been shaped by digital litigation platforms, cross-border transactions, faster commercial engagements, and higher ethical expectations from the public.

At yesterday’s plenary, presided over by the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, senators agreed that the profession required stronger regulatory structures to safeguard quality and integrity. The bill was thereafter referred to the Judiciary Committee for a public hearing and further legislative work, with a two-week deadline.

A central feature of the amendment is the restructuring of the Body of Benchers, the apex regulatory institution for admission to the Bar. Under the proposal, the body would, for the first time, be granted corporate legal personality, financial autonomy, a strengthened secretariat, clearer powers to make rules, and structures to support effective oversight.

Bamidele highlighted the need to overhaul the disciplinary architecture of the profession. The bill empowers the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee to operate multiple panels nationwide and strengthens its sanctioning powers, including suspension, striking off, restitution, compensation, and publication of decisions for transparency. Practitioners will retain the right of appeal to the Supreme Court.

To reinforce discipline, the bill proposes an Ethics, Adherence, and Enforcement Committee with the power to inspect law offices, request documents, investigate public complaints, enforce compliance, and prosecute cases before the LPDC.

Another landmark provision is the introduction of compulsory continuing professional development as a prerequisite for renewing a practising licence, a move expected to align Nigeria with global standards.

The bill also criminalises unauthorised legal practice, seeks tighter regulation of foreign lawyers, proposes reforms to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, and introduces new client-protection measures.

Backing the initiative, the Chief Whip, Tahir Monguno, recalled how much the profession had changed in his 35 years at the Bar, saying the reforms were overdue. “We are in a digital age,” he said. “Our laws must reflect the times.”(Guardian)