Sustaining Sustainable Reforms for Vocational Legal Education in Nigeria: The Way Forward

Abstract

The Council of Legal Education is a major provider of vocational legal education to Nigerian legal market and beyond. In the years 2008 – 2009, the Council of Legal Education reformed its vocational legal education content in terms of developing and improving on the Curriculum and took other measures towards improving the quality of lawyers produced by the body. The methodology in this paper is based on literature review, classroom experiences in the course of implementing the reforms, and societal reactions from lawyers and feedbacks from consumers of legal services. This paper examined the role of the Council of Legal Education vis-à-vis providing vocational legal training to law graduates from the university and preparing aspirants to the Bar for presentation to the Body of Benchers for their formal call to bar and onward provision of legal service to the consumers in the legal market. The paper briefly considered the role of the Body of Benchers as critical stakeholder vis a vis the concept of fit and proper within the production chain for lawyers. The paper further dwelt on the various reforms for sustainable training by the Council of Legal Education. The paper also emphasised the various professional offences for which a lawyer who is reform - deficient may be sanctioned and exposes the law graduate to the reward systems and potentials embedded in the legal profession in the long run. The paper ends with steps to take towards sustaining and improving on the 2008 - 2009 reforms in vocational legal education under the supervision of the Council of Legal Education.

Keywords: Curriculum, School, Sustainable, Reforms.

DOI: 10.7176/JLPG/92-21

Publication date: December 31^st 2019