Barrister’s or Senior Advocate’s robe, on any occasion other than in court except as may be directed or permitted by the Bar council; or when conducting his own case as party to a legal proceeding in court; when giving evidence in a legal proceeding in court.” – Rule 46(2), Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners 2007. A young lawyer tagged the ‘Young Wig’ on facebook, was fully robed in wig and gown, with a full neck white shirt, not the one a lawyer can wear with bib on, but didn’t tuck the shirt in. This particular legal practitioner posted this picture on facebook himself, which can only mean he is proud of the way he looks and wants others to see and appreciate it. Another legal practitioner was caught having a meal presumably after court at a ‘mama put’, fully robed in his gown trying to ‘savage’ a plate of rice and beans on a sunny afternoon. I doubt if this particular legal practitioner was aware that his picture was taken, but he made facebook, worst of all, the picture went viral. This writer cannot say for sure if posting pictures on social media was contemplated or prohibited by the Rules of Professional Conduct; it sure does happen, and one can only hope for the sake of the reputation of the profession that good pictures that speak well of the profession make it to the online hub. In the words of Jerome Iroagalachi, social media manager of The Young Wig magazine, “It is a misrepresentation of the mode of dressing of lawyers to non-lawyers; it does not help the image of the profession. Assuming he is a lawyer, he needs to be sent back to the Nigerian Law School. It is very improper for him to deliberately dress in what he knows to be an incorrect manner of dressing of a lawyer, take a picture and circulate same on social media.” Miss Kelechi Marcie Kafor, creator of Fashion and Style of lawyers says, “Let us take a moment to ask ourselves the purpose of clothing, according to Tom Ford, dressing well is a form of good manners. How a lawyer looks is one of the main things that attracts his/her clients. Dress sense is to preserve our dignity, and there is nothing dignified about that picture, it is an insult to lawyers and the legal profession.” If you ask me, the social media is one of the best inventions to have happened to mankind, but we, Nigerians, have a tendency of using innovations in a negative way. Having said that, no matter what happens on social media, I don’t support a bill to regulate same, it’s an invasion to our fundamental human rights as enshrined in the (1999) Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended). A legal practitioner is a special breed, groomed for six or more years to be a gentleman in all ramifications (be it online, or offline). To whom much is given, much is expected. If we chide the Nigerian movie industry for misrepresenting the dress sense of a Nigerian lawyer to the world, then a Nigerian lawyer needs not by his/her own conduct or representation on the social media bring the profession to disrepute. Our elders in the profession didn’t have the opportunity of the social media when they started practice, matter of fact, some are still getting around to how it is being used, so when young wigs present the legal profession on the platforms it discourages them the more on the benefits of Information Communications Technology (ICT). To my mind, everyone has the right to post what he/she feels like, it is your inalienable right, but as lawyers, the society beams a microscope on us, seeing our every move and attaching meanings to it. For the above stated reasons, legal practitioners should be cautious about the pictures they post on social media, a lot of views and opinions of the legal profession depend on it. ‘To whom much is given, much is expected.’ Godspeed! Do send your comment{s}, observation{s} and recommendation{s} to danielbulusson@gmail.com or like us on www.facebook.com/younglawyerscolumn]]>