ABUJA, Nigeria – The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Motonori Kekere-Ekun, has reportedly directed that the title “Barrister” should no longer be used as a name prefix by legal practitioners appearing or being addressed at the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
The directive, which is said to take effect immediately, marks a significant change in the way lawyers are formally identified within proceedings and official communications at the apex court.
Under the reported directive, lawyers are expected to use their names without the prefix “Barrister”. The move is understood to be aimed at maintaining consistency and formality in the presentation of legal practitioners before the Supreme Court.
The development has generated discussion within Nigeria’s legal community, particularly because “Barrister” has traditionally been widely used as a professional title by Nigerian lawyers.
However, the directive does not mean that lawyers have lost their status as barristers or their legal right to practise. The Legal Practitioners Act recognises a legal practitioner as a person entitled to practise as a barrister or barrister and solicitor, while legal practitioners whose names are on the roll are entitled to practise in Nigeria.
The Supreme Court has, under the leadership of Justice Kekere-Ekun, also introduced other changes aimed at modernising court administration. In July, the apex court commenced the implementation of the Nigerian Case Management System and announced the move away from manual filing of cases.
The reported restriction on the use of “Barrister” as a prefix is therefore expected to attract further attention from members of the Nigerian Bar and other stakeholders as details of its implementation emerge.
