Chairman of the Body of Benchers and retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Olabode Rhodes-Vivour, has advised the 880 law graduates admitted to Bar yesterday not to stray from the ethics of the profession.
Rhodes-Vivour urged them to avoid acts or conducts that could obstruct or adversely affect the course of justice.
“You must adhere strictly to the provisions of the rules of professional conduct and maintain best practices at all times,” he said. The eminent jurist spoke in Abuja at the Call to Bar ceremony held for the 880 who were successful in the December 2020 Bar final examinations of the Nigerian Law School (NLS).
He warned that the Legal Profession and Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) was ready to discipline erring lawyer, who engages in acts amounting to infamous conduct.
Rhodes-Vivour assured that the future of law practice in the country looks bright, with the advent of legal analytic software and the internet, which he noted, have provided a complete range of legal information and materials, including judicial decisions.
The Director General of the NLS, Professor Isa Hayatu Chiroma (SAN) disclosed that the Federal Government has approved the establishment of a new campus of the Nigerian Law School in Port-Harcourt, the Rivers state capital.
Chiroma explained that the approval followed a request from the Government of Rivers State to build, equip and hand over a new campus of the NLS to the Council of Legal Education.
The NLS DG said Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has approved the construction of a 1,500 seating capacity auditorium and two 900 bed spaces of male and females hostels for the Yenogoa campus of the NLS.
Chiroma said the projects were flagged off for immediate construction last month by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
He said the school admitted law graduates of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) last month for remedial course.
Chiroma commended members of the Body of Benchers and other relevant stakeholders in the legal profession for their commitment, cooperation and assistance in the resolution of the NOUN students crisis.
While charging the new lawyers to adhere strictly to the norms and ethics of the profession, noted that 1,561 students sat for the December 2020 Bar final examinations, out of which 880 came out successful.
