The Nigerian Law Society (NLS) has rejected a directive by Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, stopping lawyers from using “Barrister” before their names in official dealings with the Supreme Court.
The directive was contained in a July 13, 2026 memorandum signed by the Supreme Court’s Chief Registrar, Kabir Akanbi, and addressed to legal practitioners, court registrars, litigation staff and other lawyers. It directed them to use “Esquire” instead, as part of measures to promote professional standards.
But in a statement on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, NLS Executive Director, Dr Tonye Jaja, questioned the directive’s legal basis.
Jaja said the Legal Practitioners Act recognizes lawyers as entitled to practice as “barrister and solicitor”, but does not expressly provide “Esquire” as a professional designation.
He argued that although “Barrister” alone does not state the full statutory designation, replacing it with “Esquire” cannot be made compulsory where the latter also lacks express statutory recognition.
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Jaja therefore questioned the authority of the CJN, Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC) and Nigerian Bar Association to impose a mandatory title not provided by law.
The controversy has an earlier judicial backdrop. In Nigerian Bar Association v. Ofomata, reported in (2017) 5 NWLR (Part 1557) 128, the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee regarded the use of “Barrister” as a prefix to a lawyer’s name as improper and unprofessional.
The NLS has also linked the issue to the disputed Senior Counsel of Nigeria (SCN), or “Blue Silk”, rank. Jaja argued that it would be inconsistent to question titles not expressly contained in legislation while recommending “Esquire”, which is similarly absent from the statute.
He further cited a judgment by Justice Mohammed Garba Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in support of the society’s position on the SCN designation.
The NLS maintains that the absence of a title from legislation does not automatically make its use unlawful, turning the dispute into a broader question of professional nomenclature and regulatory authority within the Nigerian legal profession.