Continuing legal education is a lifelong learning process that is indispensable to professional growth and the individual competence of lawyers. It is essentially the professional responsibility of lawyers especially practicing lawyers to ensure that their legal knowledge and skills continue to be relevant, robust, and comprehensive.
Hence, provide quality of service that adequately responds to the various expectations of clients, the evolving nature of law, and legal practice, professional obligation to keep abreast of the law to the requirements of the legal profession, and ultimately protects the public thereby contributing to the overall capacity growth of the country.
Aside, Mandatory Continuing Legal Education, it is strict on the rules where noncompliance with this, is gross professional misconduct.
Legal Tips hereby draws the attention of lawyers carrying on practice as legal practitioners, to the provision in the Rules of Professional Conduct that states that Continued Professional Development is mandatory and nonconformity indisputably violates Rule 11(1) & (2) of Rules of Professional Conduct.
Part A, Rule 11(1) & (2) RULES OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT FOR LEGAL PRACTITIONERS 2007. states as follows:
- (1) A lawyer who wishes to carry on practice as a legal practitioner shall participate in and satisfy the requirements of the mandatory Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Programme operated by the Nigerian Bar Association.
(2) The activities in which a lawyer is required to participate for the purpose of the CPD Programme of the N.B.A shall include-
(a) attendance and participation in accredited courses;
(b) lectures seminars, workshops and conferences on law approved by the N.B.A
(c) writing on the law and its practice in books for Journals and Newspapers approved by the Nigerian Bar Association.
(d) study towards professional qualifications approved by the Nigerian Bar
Association; and.
(e) other approved means acquiring legal professional knowledge and experience.
Therefore, the requirement for the development of any society is anchored on the existence of an imparting legal system that encourages continuing legal education for legal luminaries. This is a sine qua non that is of supreme prominence.
LEGALTIPS is anchored by Ms CIA Ofoegbunam, an Abuja-based lawyer who is passionate about legal practice.
LEGALTIPS offers quick hints on substantive law, as well as rules of practice and procedure, and serves as a handy reference guide to lawyers, especially in court.
Published on a weekly basis, the LEGALTIPS Series is CIA’s modest contribution to legal development in Nigeria.
