Increase in Cases of Impersonation of Lawyers in Nigeria: Making Case for Reforms
Abstract
Lawyering and legal practice require proper certification by the regulatory bodies in the legal profession in line with extant legislations. It is getting worrisome to see persons not called to the Bar rendering services to undiscerning clients, albeit illegally. The vice of impersonation is on the increase within the Nigerian legal market. Cases of fake lawyers across the Nigerian legal hemisphere are being reported almost on a monthly basis. This paper reconciles the extant provisions dealing with the impersonation of lawyers in Nigeria by virtue of section 22 of the Legal Practitioners Act 2004. It further examines contemporary impersonation practices in other jurisdictions and the Nigerian Legal market. The paper ends with suggested reforms such as a review of the provisions of extant statutes in this respect and a call for other socio-legal alternatives towards curbing the menace
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References
Statutes
Section 17 of the Legal Practitioners Act No 33 of 1962
Section 8 Legal Practitioners Act Cap L11 LFN 2004
Section 22 Legal Practitioners Act Cap L11 LFN 2004
Section 24 Legal Practitioners Act Cap L 11 LFN 2004
Rule 3 Rules of professional conduct 2007
Section 484 Criminal Code Act Cap C38 LFN 2004
Section 179 of the Penal Code Law Cap P LFN 2004
Section 83 South African Attorneys Act No 53 of 1979
Part I.1, Section 26 of the Law Society Act RSO 1990
Section 26.2 (1) of the Law Society Act RSO 1990
Case law
Auchi Polytechnic V. Okuoghae ( 2005) 10 NWLR (Pt 933) 279.
Commissioner of Police V. Emmanuel Ojo MI/425c/2017 unreported case in Oyo State
Foreign case law
The Law Society of Ontario vs Kopyto Harry (Court File No: CV – 19 – 617826 – 0000
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Hornby A. S., Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, Oxford University Press New 9th Edition, (2015), p. 788
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Copyright (c) 2023 Olajumoke Shaeeb, Ileola Adesina, Omoniyi Bukola Akinola, PhD

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