How to become a SAN

” SAN ” stands for Senior Advocate 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 grant began in 1975. But before that, Nigeria had adopted the British equivalent called Queen’s Counsel. Chief FRA Williams and Chief HO Davies were the first two Nigerians to serve as Counselors to the Queen in 1958. In 1964, the rank was abolished in Nigeria and was not replaced until 1975.

So there was no classification system for Nigerian lawyers between 1964-1975. In fact, then all lawyers were the same. But on April 3, 1975, Chief FRA Williams and Dr. Turnip Graham-Douglas became the first two to be named. 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 become Nigerian Senior Defenders.

How to become a top Nigerian defender is governed by a set of guidelines. It is the guidelines that indicate who becomes a SAN. So what are these guidelines?

Guidelines for being named SAN

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

1. 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 practice of law.

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 obtaining the application form, you will have to pay a non-refundable sum of N200,000. This amount can be reviewed at any time by the Committee.

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

9. You must also submit a list of co-legal practitioners with whom you have handled cases. The Committee may select three of them to give a confidential reference of the applicant.

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

• 8 judgments of the Superior 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 membership due to your local branch of the Nigerian Bar Association for the last 10 years prior to applying.

12. You must present evidence of income tax payment for the 3 years prior to the application.

13. The Committee has the 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 adequate 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 non-court legal professionals, such as academics, is the only exception.

Features and benefits of being a SAN

Being a SAN brings the following benefits:

1. Order of Precedence: A lead Nigerian lawyer sits at the inside bar occupying the first row of seats available to lawyers in court. This also extends to the right of a SAN to mention their cases before other attorneys regardless of their age of professional qualification.

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

3. Appeal: SAN’s dress is different from other attorneys. She wears a more stylish seeded dress made of silk materials, which makes the appearance more elegant as well. SANs are also called “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.

Above all the benefits of being a SAN, the sense of psychological satisfaction that comes with reaching the top of the profession is unmatched. This explains why the competition for rank is always intense and enthusiastic. Year after year, hundreds, if not thousands, of legal professionals apply, but only a few are chosen.