The Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee has disowned the introduction and use of a purported title known as “Blue Silk” within sections of the legal community, declaring that it does not recognise any such rank.
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In a statement on Thursday signed by the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and Secretary of the LPPC, Kabir Akanbi, the committee said its attention had been drawn to “the introduction and recent use of the purported title or designation referred to as ‘Blue Silk’ within certain quarters of the legal community.”
The LPPC, a statutory body established under the Legal Practitioners Act and vested with the responsibility of conferring the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, stressed that the SAN title remains the highest professional distinction for lawyers in the country.
Akanbi stated that the rank of SAN “remains the highest mark of professional distinction for legal practitioners in Nigeria and is awarded strictly in accordance with the provisions of the Legal Practitioners Act and the Guidelines issued by the LPPC.”
He declared that the committee does not recognise any parallel rank to the SAN title.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the LPPC does not recognise any parallel, intermediate, or alternative rank styled as ‘Blue Silk’ or by any other nomenclature purporting to suggest official status, hierarchy, or recognition within the legal profession,” the statement read.
“The introduction, conferment, or use of such a title has no statutory backing and does not emanate from the LPPC or any authority recognised under the Legal Practitioners Act,” it added.
The committee advised members of the legal profession and the general public to take note of its position, warning that lawyers who create or parade themselves with the disputed title could be in breach of professional rules.
“The LPPC views the actions of legal practitioners involved in the establishment of such purported ranks, as well as individuals who present or parade themselves as ‘Blue Silks,’ as conduct that may amount to violations of the provisions of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners 2023,” the statement said.
Akanbi further disclosed that at its meeting held on February 12, 2026, the LPPC resolved to “take appropriate steps” in line with its statutory mandate “to preserve the integrity of the legal profession and the sanctity of the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria.”
Reaffirming its stance, the committee said it remained firmly committed to upholding “the integrity, prestige, and exclusivity of the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria” and would continue to discharge its responsibilities strictly in accordance with the law.
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The statement by the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC) comes after the Tonye Clinton Jaja–led Body of Senior Counsel of Nigeria (BOSCON), in collaboration with his faction of the Nigerian Law Society (NLS) and the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners (ALDRAP), announced the commencement of the 2026 Blue Silks rank conferment.
According to a publication on loyalnigerianlawyer.com dated January 30, 2026, the rank, now in its second year, was described as specifically designed to recognise and reward excellence among non-litigation lawyers in Nigeria and in the diaspora.
The organisers stated that the Blue Silks rank of Senior Counsel of Nigeria (SCN) is open to lawyers who meet defined eligibility criteria, including possession of a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree and evidence of at least 35 verifiable non-litigation transactions.
These transactions include drafting of Bills for legislative bodies, incorporation of companies and trustees under the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2020, land documentation and conveyancing, participation in arbitration and mediation panels pursuant to the Arbitration and Mediation Act, 2023, and other recognised non-contentious legal services.
An application fee of ₦2,000,000 (Two Million Naira only), described as non-refundable, was prescribed.
Payments were to be made into:
- ALDRAP UBA account: 1020343779
- Nigerian Law Society (NLS) First Bank account: 2047551361s
BOSCON had released a list of shortlisted candidates for the 2026 Blue Silks rank, including:
- Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim
- Paul Ehigie Usenbo, Esq., Edo State Commissioner of Power
- Professor Ibrahim Tahir, Islamic Law lecturer
- Lillian Anyadiegwu, Esq., private legal practitioner
- Nuka Legborsi, Esq., a trade lawyer
- Hon. Christopher Green, Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice of Rivers State
- Mrs. Chinelo Adora Emeghara, Esq., Clerk to the Imo State House of Assembly
The organisers had claimed that awardees would be granted priority recognition as legislative counsel during public hearings at the National Assembly and other legislative houses across Nigeria, entitled to command premium professional fees with legislative drafting services benchmarked at ₦5 million and above.
They also claimed the programme provides international professional exposure through affiliation with the Blue Silks and Parliamentary Counsel of the United Kingdom’s Parliament, led by Gordon Nardell, KC, a founding editor of the International Journal of Legislative Drafting and Law Reform.
Notably, the organisers had acknowledged that unlike the traditional SAN framework, the Blue Silks award operates outside the scope of the Legal Practitioners Act, 1962, with a minimum experience requirement of ten years in non-litigation legal practice.
The investiture ceremony for the 2026 award cycle was scheduled to hold in February 2026.
However, the LPPC’s statement has now made it clear that such a rank has no statutory backing and that lawyers involved could face disciplinary consequences under the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners 2023.
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