A dispute over the titles used by Nigerian lawyers has emerged between the Nigerian Law Society and the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun.
The NLS is challenging the CJN’s directive that lawyers should stop using “Barrister” before their names in official engagements at the Supreme Court and instead use “Esquire” as a suffix.
The directive, contained in a July 13, 2026 memo signed by the Supreme Court’s Chief Registrar, Kabir Akanbi, was issued to legal practitioners and court officials as part of efforts to promote professional standards at the apex court.
But the NLS, through its Executive Director, Dr Tonye Jaja, said the directive has no clear basis in the Legal Practitioners Act, 1962. Jaja argued that the law recognises “Barrister” and “Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria” as professional titles, while “Esquire” is not expressly provided for.
“The problem with this recommended title of ‘Esquire’… is that they do not appear inside the Legal Practitioners Act, 1962″, Jaja said, arguing that regulatory bodies cannot impose requirements that are not backed by legislation.
The society also questioned the treatment of the Senior Counsel of Nigeria, SCN, or “Blue Silks” title, which it said is likewise not expressly contained in the Legal Practitioners Act. It accused the CJN and the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee of applying different standards to professional titles.
Jaja maintained that the absence of a title from legislation does not automatically make its use unlawful, pointing to the evolution of the SAN title from the British King’s Counsel tradition.
The NLS is therefore calling for consistency and a clear legal basis in regulating professional titles, setting the stage for a wider debate over who has the authority to determine how Nigerian lawyers identify themselves in official practice.
