In response to growing concerns among members of the legal profession about the cost of Continuing Legal Education (CLE), the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, has taken steps to address the issue and reaffirm the NBA’s commitment to an inclusive and accessible legal education framework.
A high-level meeting was recently convened between the leadership of the NBA’s Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE) and the Young Lawyers Forum to review the complaints and propose corrective actions. Following the engagement, the NBA has issued a series of far-reaching directives aimed at ensuring fairness, affordability, and transparency in the delivery of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses.
Key directives issued by the NBA President include:
- Freedom of Choice: No lawyer shall be compelled to attend any particular accredited CPD training. Lawyers retain the right to choose which courses they attend to meet their CPD requirements.
- Clarity on Payments: Payments for CPD trainings are made directly to service providers and not to the NBA.
- NBA’s Role: The NBA’s duty remains to publicise accredited CPD training opportunities and make them visible to interested lawyers.
- Free CPD Options: Lawyers can fulfil the mandatory five CPD hours annually by attending free seminars offered by accredited institutions, NBA branches, or through NBA ICLE-organised trainings.
- Affordability Measures: The NBA ICLE Board has been directed to immediately exercise its regulatory authority to review and vet CPD course fees, ensuring they remain affordable for all legal practitioners.
- Access and Quality: These steps are intended to guarantee that lawyers across Nigeria have access to high-quality, affordable legal education.
- Continuous Free Trainings: The NBA ICLE Board will also ensure the regular availability of free training opportunities for lawyers nationwide.
- Recognition of Branch Trainings: Accredited NBA branch-level activities and trainings are recognized avenues for earning CPD credit points.
- Expanded Accreditation: Faculties of Law, NBA branches, and law training institutes are encouraged to seek CPD accreditation for relevant programmes, enabling enrolled lawyers to claim credit points.
The NBA President reaffirmed that the CLE system is designed to support the professional development of lawyers—not to impose financial hardship. He emphasized that the NBA remains committed to fostering an environment grounded in fairness, access to knowledge, and ethical excellence.
“We will continue to engage with stakeholders to ensure that the Continuing Legal Education framework is affordable, responsive, inclusive, and empowering for all members of the legal profession,” Osigwe stated.
This move marks a significant step toward a more equitable system of professional development for Nigerian lawyers, particularly young and emerging practitioners navigating economic challenges.
