By Tina Amanda
Lawyers have been urged to adopt innovative approaches to maintaining the ethical standards of the legal profession, as the future of law hinges on creativity and accountability.
This call was made by Dr. Chukwuma Chinwo, a Senior Lecturer at Rivers State University, during his keynote speech titled “The Future of Law in Nigeria: Innovation, Ethics, and Accountability” at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Degema Branch Law Week in Port Harcourt.
Dr. Chinwo emphasized the importance of innovation in legal practice, urging lawyers to explore new ways to deliver justice without inflicting hardship on those seeking it.
He called for a reimagining of the principles, content, form, and objectives of the law in Nigeria to better address modern challenges.
“The future of law in Nigeria can be better assured if lawyers, particularly law teachers raising the next generation, conceive not only new ways of doing old things but also innovative solutions to solve longstanding problems.
“The legal profession in Nigeria, again and unfortunately especially Law teachers, have been stuck to old ideas, theories, and methodologies fashioned in foreign lands for the needs and challenges of their inhabitants for too long.
“The future of the Law in Nigeria can be better assured if lawyers, especially Law teachers, who are engaged in raising the next generation of lawyers who would become lawmakers, governors, local government administrators, judicial officers, litigation lawyers, corporate gurus, and so forth, think outside the box as they say, and conceive not only new ways of doing old things but also new solutions to solve old problems.”
He noted that the profession must move beyond outdated theories and methodologies tailored to foreign contexts, urging legal practitioners to remain grounded in ethics.
“Ethics is simply doing the right things in the right manner for the right reasons. However, some lawyers struggle with this, often doing what they know to be illegal and contrary to justice.
“Perhaps like Paul the lawyer, and later Apostle of Jesus Christ, confessed there is something in the unethical lawyer making it impossible for him to do what he knows is right and doing what he knows is illegal and contrary to the objective of law – justice.
“I want to humbly invite all of us to believe that there is a future for law in Nigeria as there is a future for Nigeria. It is a future where our children would be proud that they are in a society in which there is a rule of law and not whimsocracy; where justice, equity, and fairness are bedrocks of the society; where the decrees made are not unrighteous decrees; where the Judges are knowledgeable, wise and godly and the lawyers are clean and ethically sound and do not constitute elements of temptation for judicial officers.”
Dr. Chinwo also highlighted the need for accountability in the legal profession, describing its absence as a growing threat to the efficacy of law in Nigeria.
“Lack of accountability has become pervasive. It is a pity that even among lawyers, the esteem for accountable governance is low. This threatens the strength of law and must be addressed, starting from law faculties.
Also Read:
- WUMSY CARES FOUNDATION Empowers Over 20 Women in Port Harcourt
- 16 Days of Activism: A Call to Action to End Gender-Based Violence – CSO
- FIDA Rivers Elects New Leadership, Tamunoibiueme Jim-George Emerges Chairperson
“Those were days when people’s consciences and commitment to ethics were strong while their faces were ‘weak’ and not ready to face glares, jeers, and rejection. Today some faces are as strong as flint and they steal and go.
“It is a pity that even among lawyers the esteem for accountable governance is low. It is a threat to the efficacy and strength of law and must be confronted beginning, from the Faculties of Law among students, if not earlier.”
NBA Degema Branch Chairman, Abiye Abo, echoed these sentiments, emphasizing the judiciary’s critical role as the last hope for the common man.
He urged lawyers to leverage technology, including artificial intelligence and social media while remaining compliant with ethical standards.
“We must ensure that the judiciary’s honor is not diminished by misconduct. While we innovate, we must uphold the ethics of our profession to avoid sanctions,” Abo said.
He acknowledged the growing public skepticism toward the judiciary, attributing it to the misconduct of a few, and stressed the need to remind lawyers of their role in upholding justice, equity, and fairness in society.
The event underscored the importance of innovation, ethics, and accountability as foundational principles for the future of the legal profession in Nigeria.
