The Nigerian Law Society, NLS, a professional association of Nigerian lawyers, is drafting amendments to the Legal Practitioners Act of Lesotho.
Lesotho is a southern African country.
The development followed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Nigerian Law Society, NLS, and the Law Society of Lesotho.
Objectives of the MoU include supporting legal reform initiatives, particularly in Lesotho; enhancing professional skills and knowledge of members of both Societies; promoting the exchange of legal resources and research materials; establishing joint programs for continuing legal education and professional development; and providing practical legal training for law students and opportunities for exchange programs between both Societies.
An agreement for the signing of the MOU was reached at a meeting between Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja, Executive Secretary of the NLS, and a delegation of the Law Society of Lesotho, led by Adv. Ithabeleng Phemotse and Adv. Tinkle Tuke, Secretary and President, respectively, on Friday 25th October, 2024, in Lesotho.
Jaja and Tuke signed the MoU on behalf of the Nigerian and Lesotho Law Societies.
Providing an update on the MoU in a statement on Tuesday, Jaja noted that the Nigerian Law Society will, among other requirements, draft new guidelines for the conferment of King’s Counsel (KC) of Lesotho on Lesotho lawyers.
King’s Counsel is the Lesotho equivalent of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).
“Based on the MoU, the Nigerian Law Society (NLS) has now provided legal drafting assistance to the Law Society of Lesotho by drafting of new Guidelines for conferment of the rank of King’s Counsel of Lesotho, which is the Lesotho equivalent of the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).
“In line with the new Guidelines, the Nigerian Law Society (NLS) is represented as a member of the Screening and Selection Committee for candidates who are to be conferred with the rank of King’s Counsel of Lesotho,” the statement noted.
A document titled ‘Guidelines For Conferment Of The Rank Of King’s Counsel In The Kingdom Of Lesotho’ stated: “The King’s Counsel Selection Committee (KCSC) shall exercise full control and management of the process of appointing and preserving the dignity of the Rank of King’s Counsel.
“One Representative of the Nigerian Law Society (NLS) will be the External Assessor and Member of the Lesotho King’s Counsel Selection Committee (KCSC).
“The primary mode of consultation will be by way of confidential reference from judges of superior courts, including the Justices of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal as well as ChiefJudges, not as primary means of selection of candidates but more as a final check in the selection procedure.”
NLS is an emerging professional association of Nigerian lawyers. The organization is currently engaged in a dispute with the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, over its registration.
An Abuja Federal High Court, in December 2023, gave a judgment in favour of the Nigerian Law Society, directing the CAC to register the organization.
The emergence of the NLS is also being opposed by the NBA, the umbrella body of lawyers in Nigeria.
However, in an interview with DAILY POST, Secretary of the NLS, Steve Abar, stated that the organization will provide a better alternative for legal practitioners in the country.
Abar insisted that the NLS will benefit Nigerians in several areas, particularly by standing with the citizens and holding government accountable.