Nigeria's Chief Justice bans lawyers from using 'Barrister' as a title prefix in all official documents and engagements.

July 31, 2026 Premium Times nigeria 505 words

TL;DR

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, has directed all legal practitioners to immediately stop prefixing their names with the title 'Barrister'.

The directive mandates the immediate removal of the title from all official correspondence, court records, documents, and identity materials.

Intelligence

A circular dated 13 July and signed by Supreme Court Chief Registrar Kabir Akanbi described the use of 'Barrister' as an inappropriate and unprofessional prefix.

Strict enforcement by department heads is expected to phase out the 'Barrister' prefix within formal judicial settings.

Because the circular does not address the popular postnominal 'Esq.', lawyers are highly likely to continue using it to denote their professional status in official documents.

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