Nigerian Law Society challenges LPPC to publish scores of SAN candidates
The Nigerian Law Society, NLS, has challenged the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee, LPPC, to be transparent in the selection of lawyers for the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN.
The NLS is a body comprising mostly Nigerian non-litigation lawyers, who have been historically excluded from consideration for the SAN rank largely because the criteria for the conferment of the title did not capture their roles in the legal profession.
The move by members of the NLS, through the Association of Legislative and Advocacy Drafting Practitioners, ALDRAP, to introduce the Blue Silks rank as an alternative to the SAN title for non-litigation lawyers in Nigeria has been met with stiff opposition from the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, and the LPPC, as well as key stakeholders and institutions in the country's legal system.
The development has sparked a protracted legal battle. The Blue Silks rank is the subject of several pending court cases between the non-litigation lawyers, under the umbrella of NLS and ALDRAP, on one side, and the NBA, LPPC, and some major officials in the judicial sector, including the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court, Mr Kabir Akanbi, on the other side.
The LPPC recently invited applications for the 2027 conferment of the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, fixing a non-refundable processing fee of N5 million for private legal practitioners and N2.5 million for government-employed lawyers. The online application portal opened on November 1, 2026, to close on January 31, 2027.
The notice for applications was issued pursuant to provisions of Section 5(2) of the Legal Practitioners Act, and Paragraphs 10(1)–(4) of the 2022 Guidelines for the award of the SAN rank.
Traditionally, before the conferment of the SAN rank, the LPPC releases a shortlist of candidates. But the candidates' scores are not disclosed.
However, the Nigerian Law Society, NLS, has now asked the LPPC to, henceforth, publish the scores of the candidates, as is done by the Appointments Committee for candidates selected for the conferment of the rank of King's Counsel, KC, in the United Kingdom. The SAN rank in Nigeria is regarded as the equivalent of the King's Counsel rank in the UK.
The NLS made the demand through its Executive Director, Dr Tonye Clinton Jaja, on Tuesday.
"The Nigerian Law Society, NLS, has challenged the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee, LPPC, to apply transparency in its process of appointment of candidates for the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN.
"Specifically, it requested the LPPC to undertake a publication of the scores of candidates (in the public domain) who make it to the long list of next year's Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN.
"This suggestion is in line with the transparency applied by the Appointments Committee of the King's Counsel, KC, of the United Kingdom," the NLS said.
Outlining the process for conferment of the rank of King's Counsel in the UK, the NLS added, "The process of becoming a King's Counsel, KC, commonly known as "taking silk" in England and Wales, is an independent, merit-based selection process managed by King's Counsel Appointments, KCA, and administered through the independent Selection Panel."
Further highlighting the procedure for selection of candidates for the KC rank in the UK, the NLS noted that legal and lay members of the Selection Panel review the application forms, case details, and assessor feedback. Candidates who meet the threshold are invited for a panel interview.
"Selection is judged purely against the published competency framework with no fixed quota or limit on the number of appointments. The Selection Panel submits its recommendations of successful candidates to the Lord Chancellor. Formal appointment is made by His Majesty The King on the advice of the Lord Chancellor. Successful candidates are formally "called within the bar" during official taking silk ceremonies," the NLS added.
The NLS further explained that the Blue Silks rank has its origins in the legal tradition bequeathed to Nigeria by the British.
"It should be noted that the Blue Silks rank of Senior Counsel of Nigeria, SCN, is an adaptation of the legal tradition that was bequeathed by the colonial government of the United Kingdom to Nigeria.
"In the United Kingdom, apart from the rank of King's Counsel (which commenced in the 1300s), which is exclusively for courtroom litigation lawyers (barristers), there are other ranks which are for non-litigation lawyers such as the rank of Parliamentary Counsel conferred by the Parliament of the United Kingdom upon lawyers who distinguish themselves in the art of legislative drafting of both government and Private Member Bills and legislative advocacy before the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The tradition of keeping a Register of this category of lawyers commenced in the year 1869.
"It is worthy of note that both the rank of King's Counsel, KC, and the Parliamentary Counsel are not the creation of statutes or legislation but a matter of legal tradition.
"Therefore, the Blue Silks rank of Senior Counsel of Nigeria, SCN, derives its legal basis not from any direct legislation but from Section 40 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 and the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2020, which grants self-regulatory powers upon the incorporated trustees and other entities to confer ranks of fellowship upon their members," it stated.
The NLS added that a judgment delivered by Justice Mohammed Garba Umar of the Abuja Federal High Court on January 27, 2026, gave additional impetus and legal basis for the Blue Silks rank.
Nigerian Law Society challenges LPPC to publish scores of SAN candidates