The Role of the Legal Profession in the socio-economic Development of Nigeria

By Paschal Ifeanyi Nwosu Esq

Abraham  Lincoln once noted that, ‘ A lawyer’s time and advice are his stock in trade .’  Over the centuries , the importance of the legal profession in promoting justice , reason, and freedom has enhanced the socio-economic development of nations of the Commonwealth through the artful applications of their stocks in trade.

One cannot agree less with the opinion of George Washington ‘that lawyers are the first virtuous nobility the world has known,’ perhaps because of their monumental contributions to the socio-economic development of their terrains .

What a lawyer practices is the law , the object of which ‘is to preserve and enlarge freedom,’ according to Francis Bacon.

At this point, ‘the law becomes the last result of human experience for the benefit of the public,’ opines Samuel Jackson .

Inevitably , across the globe , lawyers are held in high esteem because their learning prepares them for leadership of their respective countries, which they have utilized to drive growth , the social order, and economic development of their countries .

The legal profession

in Nigeria was shaped by a rich and complex development embedded in Nigeria’s colonial history .

The Nigerian legal system itself is rooted in the pluralism of indigenous customary laws , traditions , Islamic law, and the common law , with its rules of precedents and statutes .

Nigeria operates a federal system in which the supreme court is the apex court , followed by the court of Appeals , the high courts and other inferior courts .

The evolving Nigerian legal system, with its modern legal frameworks and law schools, relies on the legal profession to oil and drive its growth.

 Despite its challenges and evolving law reforms , the Nigerian legal profession remains relevant to the socio-economic development of Nigeria in its push towards industrialization.

This is because no meaningful development can take place in a social order without the preeminence of the rule of law , the lawyers’ stock-in-trade, that ensures extant legislation is fair, duly enforced , and applicable to all and sundry without fear or favor.

Economic developments can thrive mainly where there are legal frameworks and services that facilitate and drive business growth and create investment opportunities , protecting human rights, essential for social and economic developments.

The legal profession is essential for fostering good governance , nourishing transparency and accountability, helping to provide the mechanisms for fast and reliable resolution of disputes, and promoting access to justice and thereby driving developmental strides and the social order .

The impact on socio-economic development remains heightened , promoting a well-functioning legal system that attracts investment , promotes trade , and stimulates economic growth and development , ensuring social justice and development of strong institutions, which are essential to a nation’s well-being.

These are not without challenges and opportunities to the greater good. It’s relevant to note here that access to justice , the promotion of legal reforms , contributes significantly to socioeconomic development while promoting a more just and equitable society .

Over a century , across Nigeria , the legal profession has faced numerous challenges, especially under military rules and dictatorships, particularly where constitutionalism faced the trysts of the supremacy of decrees and edicts of military juntas , misguided about its role for the greater good , and consequently creating disillusionments and harrowing experiences for the country .

Under the atmosphere of strife, fascism, corruption, and economic underdevelopment in the 60s through the 90s , the legal profession in Nigeria made great strides to preserve the nation-state , Nigeria’s cultural diversities , and customary laws , creating excellence and attaining heights in which several Nigerians have emerged as international jurists, presiding over world courts and driving the development of law and order across the globe.

Nigerian lawyers that have accomplished great strides in the International Court of Justice include Taslim Olawale Elias, who served as president of the ICJ from 1982 to 1985 and projected a unique perspective that shaped reforms and international legal jurisprudence .

 Another Nigerian  jurist is Chike Eboe Osuji, who served as president of the International Criminal Court.

 These jurists helped in shaping Nigeria’s legal system and, by extension, the rule of law and the socioeconomic development of the country .

However , the economic and leadership decline of Nigeria from the late 80s, in which lawyers played less politically viable roles, has diminished the relevance of the legal profession that’s increasingly challenged by poverty despite their immense contributions to the development of Nigeria .

The Legal Practitioners Remuneration Order 2023 was decidedly to ameliorate the harshness of Nigeria’s economic decline on the profession threatened by quacks and systemic adaptations to changes.

What remains to be accomplished is the removal of institutional bottlenecks that have emasculated the profession and impoverished legal practitioners across the country .

Nigerian lawyers must get more involved in leadership roles and politics, for which they are virtuously suited, to reclaim their position of nobility in the country .

paschalnwosu@gmail.com

Source: loyalnigerialawyer