A renowned Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Prof. Yusuf Ali [SAN], on Monday urged lawyers in the country to always strive to balance innovation with integrity, warning that their absence is capable of destroying confidence in the legal profession.
Also, the first female Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Folake Solanke, urged lawyers to go back to the golden age of the legal profession when confidence and trust, without acts of misconduct, were always extended to Nigerian lawyers and Judges.
The two SANs made the call at the Aare Afe Babalola Bar Centre, Iyaganku, Ibadan, venue of the 2025 Ibadan NBA Law Week with the theme: “Law, Ethics and Innovation: Sustaining the future of Legal Practice.
Dignitaries at the event included the retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Olabode Rhodes- Vivour (who chaired the opening event), Justice Dele Peters, Mr. Nathaniel Oke (SAN), Mr. Oladapo Olasope SAN), and others.
Asiwaju Adebayo Ojo, an SAN and former Attorney General and Justice Commissioner in Oyo state, delivered the keynote address of Prof. Ali. He noted that the future of legal practice would not be determined by technology alone, but by how lawyers use it. He therefore urged lawyers to embrace relevance, innovation, ethics, competence and above all, progress.
Ali emphasised that the future of law in Nigeria must be shaped through deliberate action, ethical leadership and fearless innovation, stressing that “we should embrace the future with clarity, courage and conviction. Let us innovate with integrity, modernise with discipline and lead with vision so that the future of ethical legal practice can be sustained.
“We must strengthen ethical infrastructure, update the rules of professional conduct, invest in capacity building and promote responsible innovation. We should also preserve the human essence of the law and build a future-oriented judiciary,” he said.
The 93-year old Chief Solanke added that acts of misconduct should be eschewed among legal practitioners just like it was in the days of yore. She said, “Apart from my family and the church, I’m happiest among judges and lawyers and I want to thank you all for all the respect and accolades that you heap upon me. When I joined the profession in 1963, when I was called to the Bar in London and also Supreme Court in Nigeria, there was no allegation or suggestion or accusation of any misconduct. As a lawyer, you prepared your case and you presented, knowing that the judgment will be based on the law and the facts.
“I pray that we can go back to the golden age of the legal profession when confidence and trust are always extended to Nigerian lawyers and Judges. We have a challenge before us and I pray that God will help us to overcome the problems we have at the moment”, she said.
The Oyo State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Abiodun Aikomo, equally urged lawyers to conduct themselves with maturity, considering the profession’s importance in society. He added that the theme should be taken seriously by everyone concerned about the future of the legal profession. “It is in our collective interest that the legal profession thrives and maintains its standing in society,” he said.
Also speaking, the Oyo State Chief Judge, Justice Iyabo Yerima, represented by Justice Boyede Akintola said that the profession must remain dynamic rather than stagnant. However, she said that “in the process, it must not lose its learned identity. We must uphold that special status through our language, appearance, and conduct,” she said.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Ibadan NBA, Mr Ibrahim Lawal, noted that ethical issues had become central to the profession, alongside innovations shaping legal practice and the often-blurred lines between ethics and innovation. He therefore urged members to unite in addressing these challenges, with a view to finding practical and lasting solutions.
The Chairman of the Law Week Planning Committee, Mr Oluseun Abimbola (SAN and former Attorney General and Justice Commissioner in Oyo state), said members’ ethical conduct in the boardroom, marketplace or courtroom remained the currency of the profession’s relevance.
