THE DEBASEMENT OF SAN TITLE
October 27, 2023 | News
-By Zik Gbemre
THE DEBASEMENT OF SAN TITLE
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) title has become a privilege reserved only for children of SANs as senior/higher bar and bench members and university law lecturers.
This gives a taste of discriminatory selection on successive SAN that negates merit and excellence based on track record as the overriding criteria for picking SANs in the chain of law practice.
Even in England where the Queen's Counsels (QCs)/King's Counsel (KCs) originated from no longer attach much privileges. Agreed certified lawyers and solicitors who are called to the Bar should be the only officially recognised legal practitioners.
They have turned the SANship to elite club of children of SANs, senior judges and university lecturers. The "privileged SAN' has lost value and respect because it has been turned into legal title for privilege lawyers that have godfathers and children of who is who in the legal system and upper judiciary.
The SAN no longer inspires excellence but mere privilege title for favoured few. It merely gives privileges to these SAN title holders against lawyers who don't have the title. It is injustice against certified lawyers who are called to the Nigerian bar.
It also gives privilege to lawyers that are appointed Attorney General of states to SANs. So if a lawyer doesn't fall into this category then he/she will be denied SANship. Is it not time for Nigeria lawyers to scrap this SAN title?
The SAN title has been abused with the compromised award and so has outlived its usefulness and no longer command the intended motives as it is in the United Kingdom of today.
In UK it is based on excellent performance but in Nigeria it is based on connections and father to son and daughter and mother to son or daughter or husband to wife or connections of serving as Attorney General of the government at states or federal or law lecturers.
There should be level playing field for every lawyer that is called to the bar in Nigeria to win cases. The SAN title holders have higher privileges in getting high profile cases because of the privileges given to them over all other lawyers/solicitors.
With this SANship practice in Nigeria it is impossible for certified lawyers/solicitors from low backgrounds to get SAN title. The award of SAN title is oppressive and holders and managers of the selection process will always award titles to their children and children of benchers, politicians or Attorney General of states or federal government or university law lecturers/law school lecturers.
Most of SAN title holders in Nigeria are children of SAN title holders living or dead, children of senior judges, politicians or Attorney Generals of states or federal or practitioners who worked in Chambers of SAN holders or law lecturers who taught in the universities and Law schools.
Zik Gbemre
October 9, 2023
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes
-By Zik Gbemre
THE DEBASEMENT OF SAN TITLE
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) title has become a privilege reserved only for children of SANs as senior/higher bar and bench members and university law lecturers.
This gives a taste of discriminatory selection on successive SAN that negates merit and excellence based on track record as the overriding criteria for picking SANs in the chain of law practice.
Even in England where the Queen's Counsels (QCs)/King's Counsel (KCs) originated from no longer attach much privileges. Agreed certified lawyers and solicitors who are called to the Bar should be the only officially recognised legal practitioners.
They have turned the SANship to elite club of children of SANs, senior judges and university lecturers. The "privileged SAN' has lost value and respect because it has been turned into legal title for privilege lawyers that have godfathers and children of who is who in the legal system and upper judiciary.
The SAN no longer inspires excellence but mere privilege title for favoured few. It merely gives privileges to these SAN title holders against lawyers who don't have the title. It is injustice against certified lawyers who are called to the Nigerian bar.
It also gives privilege to lawyers that are appointed Attorney General of states to SANs. So if a lawyer doesn't fall into this category then he/she will be denied SANship. Is it not time for Nigeria lawyers to scrap this SAN title?
The SAN title has been abused with the compromised award and so has outlived its usefulness and no longer command the intended motives as it is in the United Kingdom of today.
In UK it is based on excellent performance but in Nigeria it is based on connections and father to son and daughter and mother to son or daughter or husband to wife or connections of serving as Attorney General of the government at states or federal or law lecturers.
There should be level playing field for every lawyer that is called to the bar in Nigeria to win cases. The SAN title holders have higher privileges in getting high profile cases because of the privileges given to them over all other lawyers/solicitors.
With this SANship practice in Nigeria it is impossible for certified lawyers/solicitors from low backgrounds to get SAN title. The award of SAN title is oppressive and holders and managers of the selection process will always award titles to their children and children of benchers, politicians or Attorney General of states or federal government or university law lecturers/law school lecturers.
Most of SAN title holders in Nigeria are children of SAN title holders living or dead, children of senior judges, politicians or Attorney Generals of states or federal or practitioners who worked in Chambers of SAN holders or law lecturers who taught in the universities and Law schools.
Zik Gbemre
October 9, 2023
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes