RULES OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT FOR NIGERIAN LEGAL PRACTITIONERS

1)  Duty as to admission into the legal profession – A lawyer shall not knowingly do any act or make any omission or engage in any conduct designed to lead to the admission into the legal profession of a person who is unsuitable for admission by reason of his moral character or insufficient qualification or for any other person – Rule 2 of RPC.

2)      Aiding the unauthorized practice of the law – A lawyer shall not aid  a non-lawyer in the unauthorized practice of law – Rule 3(1) and (2) of RPC

3)      Avoidance of intermediary in the practice of the law – Rule 4 of RPC.

4)      Association for legal practice – Rule 5(1), (2), (3), (4) and (5) of RPC.

5)      Retirement from judicial position or public employment - Rule 6(1) and (2) of RPC.

6)      Engagement in business - Rule 7(1) and (2) of RPC.

7)      Lawyers in salaried employment - Rule 8(1), (2), (4) and (5) of RPC.

8)      Practising fees - Rule 9(1) and (2) of RPC.

9)      Seal and stamp - Rule 10 of RPC.

10)  Mandatory Continuing Professional Development (CPD) - Rule 11(1), (2) and 93) of RPC.

REQUIREMENT FOR THE RULES OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT FOR LAWYERS

Section 11(4) of the Legal Practitioners Act (LPA) empowers the Bar Council to make rules of professional conduct. In NBA v. Iteogu (2006) 13 NWLR (Pt. 996) 219 at 247 Abdullahi Ibrahim SAN, Chairman, LPDC (as he then was) explained that: “the rules of professional conduct is made for the maintenance of the highest standard of professional conduct etiquette and discipline in terms of the Nigerian Bar Association”.

General responsibility of a lawyer – Rule 1 of the Rules of Professional Conduct (LPC) provides that a lawyer shall uphold and observe the rule of law, promote and foster the cause of justice, maintain a high standard of professional conduct, and shall not engage in any conduct which is unbecoming of a legal practitioner.

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