Legal Education Summit: LAWSAN President Michael Arinze Advocates Legal Education Reforms In Nigeria

*Calls For Review Of School Curricula And Introduction Of Compulsory Clinical Legal Education

At the just concluded Legal Education Summit which was hosted by the Nigeria Bar Association in conjunction with Afe Babalola University Ado-Ekiti, from 29th to 30th of March, 2022, the President of LAWSAN Mr. Michael Arinze Spoke on the need for reform on legal education in Nigeria.

In his words, “On behalf of Law Students nationwide, I wish to express our deep appreciation to the Nigerain Bar Association ably led by Olumide Akpata over her efforts to reimagine Legal Education in Nigeria through the Legal Education Summit 2022.

I stand here this evening confident that this day will go down in the annals of history as a turning point from our legal education pitfalls.

It’s a fact devoid of mean debate that the striking importance of a quality legal system in any society cannot be over exaggerated or amplified. On a fuller scale, the legal system cannot be divorced from the training and qualification to practice in the System. So a discourse on leagl education is a discourse on the whole legal system and the Society at large . This is because Law pemeates every other sector of the Society and lawyers occupy the epicenter. I make bold to say that well trained and equipped Lawyers are blessings to their immediate Society but the poorly trained and unequipped ones are generational hazard to their Society.”

He went further to state that “As Law Students, we recognize that we are key players in the system. In a survey carried out by our Association, Law Students Association of Nigeria (LAWSAN), 80% of Law Students in Nigeria have decried and expressed sheer displeasure over the Status quo of legal education in Nigeria.

A thorough examination will corroborate the result of the survey and further reveal the  decadence in the standard and performance of legal education in Nigeria. Nigerian law Students are not trained to compete with their contemporaries in other jurisdictions.”

He highlighted the  following points as the cankerworm eating deep the fabric of legal education in Nigeria:

✓Anachronistic Syllabus and Curriculum

✓Lack of Clinical legal education

✓Cram-and-pour mode of assessment

✓Non-relatability between theory and Practice

✓Zero technological compliance in learning

✓Poor regulatory Framework

✓Poor infrastructure and Condition of Studies.

According to him “the ravaging effects of the challenges are inestimable and pervasive. The legal profession may loose its nobility and worth in the face of these clogs in her wheel.  The wane and decline in the education system is reflected in the quality and caliber of Legal practitioners churned out every year with little or no basic foundation to address the challenges of this century’s legal industry. ”

Recommended Solutions.

✓Review and update of the  Syllabus and Curriculum to meet this present challenges in the legal profession.

✓Introduction of a Compulsory Clinical legal education

✓Assessing the level of understanding and application of legal theories to real life cases

✓ Provision of adequate facilities for Law  in a good Learning environment.

✓The Stringent regulations for Law Faculties

He concluded by saying that the present state of legal education in Nigeria is a compromise of the future. The current educational System needs a REVIEW. We therefore call on the Council of Legal Education, Nigerian Law School, Nigerian Bar Association, National Association of Law Teachers and other relevant stakeholders in the legal education industry to rise to the occasion to implement these pragmatic solutions to the challenges confronting legal education in Nigeria otherwise we are heading to the edge of precipice in our legal system.