How to become a SAN

SAN stands for Senior Lawyer of Nigeria. It is a rank awarded to a Nigerian lawyer as a mark of professional distinction in the practice of law. It is the peak that any practicing lawyer can reach in Nigeria. The SANship award began in 1975. But before that date, Nigeria had adopted the British equivalent called Queen’s Counsel. Chief FRA Williams and Chief HO Davies were the first two Nigerians to be Queen’s Counsel in 1958. In 1964 the rank was abolished in Nigeria and had no replacement until 1975.

So, there was no classification system for Nigerian lawyers between 1964 and 1975. In fact, all lawyers were the same then. But on April 3, 1975, Chief FRA Williams and Dr. Nabo Graham-Douglas became the first two to be appointed. This marked the beginning of a new stage in the history of the legal profession in the country. Nigeria now has more than 60,000 lawyers, but so far only 349 of them have been appointed Chief Lawyers of Nigeria.

How to become a Senior Advocate for Nigeria is governed by a set of guidelines. It is the guidelines that indicate who becomes a SAN. So what are these guidelines?

Guidelines to be designated for SAN

There is a committee established by law to ensure that the guidelines are strictly followed. The Committee on the Privileges of Legal Professionals is the committee in question. The SANship Award is an annual event. It is the responsibility of any attorney interested in the rank to apply to the Committee. The guidelines that the Committee will consider to determine who deserves or not the award are the following:

1. The applicant must be a Nigerian citizen.

2. You must have been practicing in Nigeria for 10 years before you can apply.

3. Must be in full legal practice.

4. Must have distinguished himself as a lawyer.

5. Must be a man of good character.

6. Must have made a significant contribution to the development of the legal profession in Nigeria.

7. At the time of getting the application form, you have to pay a non-refundable sum of N200,000. This amount may be reviewed at any time by the Committee.

8. You must submit to the Committee a list of at least 10 high court judges before whom you have appeared in important controversial cases. The Committee can select any 3 of them to give a detailed confidential reference of the applicant.

9. You must also submit a list of co-counsels with whom you have tried cases. Three of them may be selected by the Committee to give a confidential reference of the applicant.

10. You must present the data of the contested cases that you processed personally, in this order:

• 8 judgments of the High Court,
• 6 judgments of the Court of Appeal,
• 3 judgments of the Supreme Court.

11. You must have been paying your practice fees steadily and due membership to your local branch of the Nigerian Bar Association in the last 10 years prior to application.

12. You must submit proof of payment of income tax for the 3 years prior to the application.

13. The Committee has a duty to conduct a physical inspection of the applicant’s cameras to assess the following:

• the size and quality of the library,
• space and other facilities available,
• number and quality of support staff,
• maintenance of proper accounting books,
• number of junior lawyers that must not be less than 5.

When an applicant is an academic, they must provide the Committee with 20 copies of their published work in addition to some of the pertinent considerations above.

The Nigerian Top Lawyer award is primarily for advocates. The extension of the award to legal professionals who do not attend court, such as academics, is the only exception.

Functions and Benefits of being a SAN

Being a SAN brings the following benefits:

1. Order of Precedence: A senior lawyer from Nigeria sits at the inside bar occupying the first row of seats available to legal professionals in court. This also extends to a SAN’s right to mention her case before other lawyers regardless of her professional qualification age.

2. Court Appearance – A SAN must always appear in court with a junior attorney. However, appearing with a junior attorney may be waived when the matter is criminal.

3. The Appeal: The dress of a SAN is different from that of other lawyers. She wears a more stylish dress and is made of silk materials, which makes the appearance more elegant as well. The SAN are also called “the silk” because of the clothing materials they use.

4. Professional Fees – A SAN also enjoys the privilege of charging higher fees than other attorneys might charge.

Above all the benefits of being a SAN, the sense of psychological fulfillment that comes from reaching the pinnacle of one’s profession is incomparable. This explains why the contest for rank is always intense and bitter. Year after year, hundreds if not thousands of legal professionals apply, but only a handful are chosen.