The Legal Profession Regulation Review Committee (LPRRC), held a one-day town hall meeting on the state of the Legal Profession in Nigeria. The committee was constituted by President A. B Mahmoud (SAN) in December 2016, and inaugurated 24th January 2017. It is charged with recommending a super structure for the legal profession in Nigeria, to enable it maintain high standards in its interaction with the global legal industry, and to consider job creation for lawyers, most especially the young wig. In achieving its goal, the committee negotiates with other stakeholders like the judiciary, Nigerian Law School, National Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, et al. The town hall meeting in Kaduna State was organised, and held to enable lawyers in the profession air their recommendations and suggestions on how to restructure the legal profession. Similar town hall meetings were held in Lagos and Cross River States. The questions that require answers are as follows; is the regulatory structure and architecture of the legal profession as practiced in Nigeria ideal and sufficient enough to take us forward?, who do we need to admit as a legal professional in Nigeria?, should law be studied as a second degree?, should the wig and gown be discarded in our courtrooms?, should law firms be given license before they operate?, is the current curriculum in our various law faculties meeting the trend of the society?, what should the legal profession stand to achieve in the society? To better understand these questions, and chart a realistic way forward, one must appreciate the current state of the legal profession. As it stands, there are 105,000 (one hundred, and five thousand) lawyers in the country, to 160,000,000 Nigerians (one hundred and sixty million}, which invariably means that there is 1 (one) lawyer to 1,523 (one thousand, five hundred and twenty three} i.e 1:16. There are three pending bills at the National Assembly. Some areas of the law are under-utilized because of knowledge gap, irrespective of their importance to the society. We have law firms doing well in some states, others in depreciating value in some areas, and there are states doing well in the legal practice, and others still backwards. Law students only take ethics of the profession in Nigerian Law School for nine months. With ethics, being the fulcrum of the legal profession, can it be said that nine months is sufficient for law students to adhere to all the Rules of Professional Conduct, or should the rules be inculcated into the university curriculum and taught within the five years? The Legal Profession Regulation Review Committee (LPRRC), proposes four committees in contemplation of the future of the legal profession; 1. The Legal Practitioners Council of Nigeria, which would be responsible for licensing of law firms, paralegals, notary publics etc. 2. The Council of Legal Education, 3. The Nigerian Law School, 4. The Nigerian Bar Association: The essence of the committees is to create a regulatory body different from the association as a professional body. To my mind, with the level of growth in the legal profession across Nigeria, it is imperative that we create a structure that will discourage less state dominance in practice of law, and this can only be done if the framework regulating a law firm in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, is the same regulating law firms in Kaduna, Lokoja, or Taraba. It is my fear that leaving the affairs of a law firm entirely to the modus operandi of a principal partner is plunging the profession deeper. Secondly, there are areas of law, apart from litigation that need to be promoted to encourage diversity. Take for instance, the many medical negligence cases in our hospitals but ignored by our Nigerian Legal System, or Nigerian teen boys who sign contract to go abroad to play football, spend a number of years only to return empty handed; and many like scenarios. It is my humble opinion that the legal profession needs to focus its policies towards these areas to improve participation of every lawyer. The legal profession as it stands, empowers individuals as opposed to institutions, and it does not place the profession in a position it ought to be – to compete with counterparts in developed countries. Godspeed! Do send your comment(s) observation(s) and recommendation(s) to danielbulusson@gmail.com or like us onwww.facebook.com/ younglawyerscolumn ]]>