Legal overhaul sparks heated debate among seasoned attorneys over proposal to abolish Law School institution

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

As criticism mounts over the declining quality of legal practice in the country, senior lawyers clashed on Monday over a recommendation to abolish the Nigerian Law School.

Speaking at the 2026 Legal Education Summit organised by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the Vice Chancellor of Imo State University, Prof. Uchefula Chukwumaeze, SAN, cited prevailing realities to argue that the Law School has outlived its usefulness.

According to him, the Council of Legal Education (CLE), the statutory body responsible for overseeing the Law School where graduates are trained prior to Bar admission, should be stripped of that responsibility.

He recommended that the Council’s functions be limited solely to establishing the standards and requirements for Call to Bar, while law faculties at accredited universities be permitted to undertake the training of prospective lawyers.

“If we are to talk about legal education, we must examine its foundation.

“Take the United States of America, for instance — the difference between them and us is that there is no Law School. There is also no Law School in the UK.

“Universities teach while the relevant law bodies accredit and examine. In which of the professional courses does the council set up an institution?

“The Council of Medical Associations in Nigeria conducts external examinations. Likewise the Council of Nursing and Midwifery, COREN for engineering, and the rest.

“The Council of Legal Education should abandon the idea of teaching. The Law School has served its useful purpose.

“Let us return to reality — and that reality is that the Council should abandon the idea of teaching and concentrate on setting the standards and requirements for Call to Bar.

“In view of this, I make the following recommendations: The minimum requirement to study law in Nigeria should be reviewed. The mandatory requirement of Literature in English should be abolished.

“Subject combinations in JAMB should be abolished. To read law, credits should be required in English and any other three subjects in JAMB.

“The Council of Legal Education, in conjunction with the National Universities Commission (NUC), should perform the role of stipulating the minimum requirements for legal education in Nigeria.

“Third, the Nigerian Law School should be abolished as an institution, and the responsibility for legal education should be taken over by faculties of law in universities.

“In other words, this responsibility should mirror that of other regulatory bodies, such as the Council for the Regulation of Engineering, the Medical and Dental Council, and so on.

“Legal education, which should be taken over by universities, should span a minimum of seven years.

“The first five years for Bar Part 1, the sixth year for Bar Part 2, and the seventh year strictly for internship.

“The Bar Part 2 examinations should be supervised and conducted by the Council of Legal Education.

“It should be noted that WAEC conducts exams — it does not teach. NECO conducts exams — it does not teach. The Medical and Dental Council, COREN, ICAN, and others conduct exams; they do not teach.”

However, Prof. Chukwumaeze’s position did not go down well with the Director of the Nigerian Law School, Dr. Olugbemisola Odusote, who dismissed it as misplaced.

“It would have been good if everybody attending this summit were able to say that the call was made objectively and in the interest of the nation and the profession.

“You will find out that some universities accredited by the NUC are not given the go-ahead to start by the Council of Legal Education.

“If such universities start law and train students for seven years, or whatever is being proposed, and then call them to the Bar, it does the profession more disservice, and that is not in the national interest.

“I believe that the call, with due respect, is out of place. The Council is regulating and doing what it should do,” the Law School DG added.

Likewise, the Chairman of the Council of Legal Education, Chief Emeka Ngige, SAN, insisted that the coordination of legal education “should not be an all-comers affair.”

He flayed the Imo State University VC for comparing the Council, which is statutorily recognised, with WAEC and JAMB.

“WAEC qualifies you to take further examinations to become what you want to be. What we are doing here is to reform our legal education and not to destroy it,” Ngige, SAN, added.

He further urged the NBA to lend more support to various law schools in the country, decrying that recommendations from past summits ended up on the shelves.

On his part, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, whose speech was read by Mr. Alhassan Umar, SAN, described the Summit as both timely and significant.

“It demonstrates the commitment of the Nigerian Bar Association and other stakeholders to critically examine the current state of legal education in Nigeria and develop practical, forward-looking reforms capable of strengthening the quality, relevance, and global competitiveness of legal training in our country,” the INEC Chairman stated.

Also, the President of the Nigerian Association of Law Teachers (NALT), Mr. John Akintayo, said the NBA must see its members in academia as critical stakeholders and active participants in the quest to build a legal profession that can rise to the challenges of contemporary society.

In his address, the NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, while supporting the call for reforms, canvassed a reduction in the number of years required for the study of law.

“It is generally said that a lawyer can only be as good as the system of legal education that produced him.

“The imperativeness of a system of legal education that can produce lawyers with the necessary skills and capacity to meet the evolving needs of society has always been emphasised.

“The practical and focused content of university education will achieve better results even if it lasts for three years.

“The increasing number of law graduates, coupled with the inability of the Law School to admit them, may force a review of the system,” the NBA President added.