Dear Colleagues,

Kindly recall that the leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) recently set up a Legal Education Committee with the mandate to champion a structured reformation of the legal education system in Nigeria that will produce competent, commercially aware and ethically responsive legal professionals who are fit for purpose and are able to meet the legal needs of today’s globally competitive market.

Consequently, the Legal Education Committee by a Notice signed by its Co-Chairman and Secretary, hereby calls for contributions in form of Memoranda from members of the Association on any matter that will facilitate the actualisation of the terms of reference of the Legal Education Committee.

All proposals and memoranda, addressed to the Chairman of the Committee, are to be submitted to the National Secretariat at NBA House, Plot 1101 Muhammadu Buhari Way, Central Business District, FCT Abuja on or before 6pm on Friday, 10th December 2021 or they may be sent electronically to the email address of the committee’s Secretariat namely [email protected]

Kindly find attached the Call for memoranda from the NBA Legal Education Committee.

Also, the NBA Legal Education Committee, hereby requests members to fill out a questionnaire meant to collate the views of a cross-section of the Bar and Bench to facilitate the actualisation of the terms of reference of the Legal Education Committee.

Find hereunder, the link for the said questionnaire: https://forms.office.com/r/FqLEq6eR1a

Dr. Rapulu Nduka
Publicity Secretary,
Nigerian Bar Association

 

Read the full details below:

 

CALL FOR MEMORANDA

Background

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Legal Education Committee is one of the NBA Standing Committees established under Section 12 of the NBA Constitution 2015 (as amended). It was constituted by the NBA President, Mr. Olumide Akpata and the Committee is under the leadership of Professor Dakas C.J. Dakas, SAN (Chairman) and Professor Damilola S. Olawuyi, SAN (Co-Chairman).

The Committee’s Terms of Reference include:

a. championing a structured reformation of the legal education system in Nigeria and actualising a system that will produce competent, commercially aware and ethically responsive legal professionals who are fit for purpose and are able to meet the legal needs of today’s globally competitive market;

b. working with the Council of Legal Education (CLE) and the National Universities Commission (NUC) to review the existing legal education curriculum at both the Nigerian Law School and Faculties of Law to incorporate trainings in new and emerging areas of law and take a more practical and clinical approach to the training of future lawyers;

c. calling for memoranda from the public on how to improve the system of legal education in Nigeria and organise a Legal Education Summit to deliberate on the issues affecting legal education in Nigeria and agree the way forward;

d. producing a Legal Education Reforms Report (the “Legal Education Report”) for consideration by NEC;

e. engaging all relevant stakeholders towards implementing the Legal Education Report as approved by NEC;

In furtherance of the above mandate, the Committee is hereby calling for memoranda from members of the Nigerian Bar Association, Law Faculties and Law School, on the improvement to the Nigerian legal education system.

Submission Process

1. All Memoranda should clearly address current gaps in, as well as the required innovations to revamp and transform, the teaching of law in Nigerian Law Faculties, the Nigerian Law School, and other providers of legal training in Nigeria. Proposals shall cover areas including, but not limited to, advancing experiential learning, legal education technology, legal innovation, executive education, and project management courses amongst others.

2. All Memoranda must not exceed 5 pages and should be addressed to the Chairman of the Legal Education Committee. Memoranda may be submitted on an individual or institutional basis.

3. The soft copies should be submitted by e-mail to: [email protected], while the hard copies of the Memoranda should be forwarded to the NBA House, Plot 1101, Muhammadu Buhari Way, Central Business District, FCT, Abuja on or before 6pm on Friday, 10th December 2021.

4. All Memoranda received before the deadline will be considered by the Committee and the issues raised therein will be deliberated on by the NBA.

5. The best entries shall be selected for presentation and recognition at the first ever Legal Education Summit scheduled to hold in due course. Memoranda received after the deadline will not be considered.

_________________________ __________________________

Professor Damilola Olawuyi, SAN, FCIArb 
Committee Co-Chairman

Ayi-Ekpenyong Imah, Esq.
Committee Secretary