Over 300 Nigerian Lawyers To Receive Training On Revised Code Of Conduct

Abuja, Nigeria – Over 300 legal practitioners in Nigeria will receive training on the revised 2023 Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners, thanks to a collaboration between the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), and the European Union(EU).

The two-day Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop will be held in Abuja and is funded by the EU’s Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC II) Programme. Branch chairpersons and Young Lawyers Forum leaders from all 130 NBA branches will take part.

Following the workshop, these participants will lead additional training sessions for their colleagues throughout the country.

Mukhtar Suleiman, Communications Officer at International IDEA, announced the initiative, emphasising its goal of increasing understanding of the revised rules, promoting ethical standards, and improving compliance in the legal profession.

The training will also result in a report identifying factors that contribute to unethical behaviour, promoting greater accountability.

“The NBA and legal practitioners are expected to play an important role in upholding professional ethics, ensuring a fair and transparent judicial process, and restoring public trust in the legal system,” Suleiman stated.

The initiative is consistent with ongoing efforts to increase transparency and integrity in Nigeria’s legal sector.

The training will concentrate on improving lawyers’ knowledge of the updated rules, encouraging ethical practice, addressing unethical behaviour, and fostering an accountability culture.

The NBA, which represents over 140,000 lawyers, emphasised its commitment to upholding global best practices in legal ethics.

The EU’s support demonstrates its ongoing commitment to Nigerian governance reforms under the Multi-Annual Indicative Programme (MIP) 2022-2027. This program prioritises democracy building, justice sector reforms, and anti-corruption efforts.

This training is regarded as a significant step towards increasing professionalism in Nigeria’s legal community and ensuring the highest ethical standards are upheld.