A Lawyer, B. Inem Esq has petitioned the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, LPDC over the outrageous outfits used by lawyers called to bar recently in their pre and post call to bar photoshoot.
In the petition dated 16th September 2020, the lawyer decried the dressing manner of the new wigs. According to the petition, “The legal practitioners robes/garb which include our Wig and Gown has been extremely abused and reduced to a nonstandard by our colleagues who deem it fit in gross violation of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners (RPC) to wear same along with varying outrageous colours and styles of clothing and further post pictures of this abuse for public consumption.”
The petitioner noted that the photoshoot pictures is against Rule 45 (2) (a) of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners.
The Petitioner also copied The Chief Justice of Nigeria, The Chairman, Body of Benchers Nigeria, The Attorney General of the Federation, The Chairman, Council of Legal Education and The President, Nigerian Bar Association.
Below is the Full Petition.
September 16, 2020
The Chairman,
Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee
Federal Capital Territory- Abuja
Dear Sir,
URGENT CALL TO REDRESS DRESS CODE MISCONDUCT AND UNETHICAL CONDUCT AND DISREPUTE TO THE LEGAL PROFESSION
I write to bring to your attention the severe disrepute into which the Legal Profession has been brought particularly by greenhorn legal practitioners. The legal practitioners robes/garb which include our Wig and Gown has been extremely abused and reduced to a nonstandard by our colleagues who deem it fit in gross violation of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners (RPC) to wear same along with varying outrageous colours and styles of clothing and further post pictures of this abuse for public consumption.
Reiterating the respect and sanctity to be accorded to our garb, I reproduce Rule 45 (2) (a) of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners:
(2) A lawyer SHALL NOT wear the Barrister’s or Senior Advocate’s robe – (a) on any occasion other than in Court except as may be directed or permitted by the Bar Council; …
The mischief the rule above was made to cure was an abuse of the lawyer robes. Sir, today, such abuse is wanton and uncontrolled. It has been said that the dress a lawyer wears whether in or out of court must be tidy, respectable and sober; not flamboyant, sadly, this is not the case today.
Kindly find attached some pictures of recently called legal practitioners evincing the outrageous dress styles bringing the lawyer robes and by extension the profession to disrepute. While celebrating the no small feat of getting called to the bar is necessary, such celebrations should be done with utmost decorum and regard, as expected of a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and not in a manner to obliterate respect, dignity and honour of the hallowed profession.
Sir, the legal profession is a very serious, noble and conservative one. In Okafor & ors v. Nweke & Ors [2007] LPELR-2412(SC) the Learned Justice of the Supreme Court, W.S. Onnoghen said:
“Legal practice is a very serious business that is to be undertaken by serious minded practitioners particularly as both the legally trained minds and those not so trained always learn from our examples. We therefore owe the legal profession the duty to maintain the very high standards required in the practice of the profession in this country.”
Sir, our robes have been worn for over 300 years and our wigs have been worn since the year 1680. Our profession has a rich history and culture that must be preserved, therefore I urge you to kindly use your good office to nip this bastardization of our hallowed profession in the bud before the situation escalates. I am willing to supply information concerning the offending practitioners in a separate petition should they refuse to cease and desist from their unethical conduct.
Please accept, Mr Chairman, the assurances of my highest regards.
Yours Faithfully,
B. Inem Esq.
ENCL: 1. Pictures of outrageously dressed legal practitioners with Lawyer garb
CC: 1. The Chief Justice of Nigeria 2. The Chairman, Body of Benchers Nigeria 3. The Attorney General of the Federation 4. The Chairman, Council of Legal Education 5. The President, Nigerian Bar Association
SEE THE PICTURES BELOW
