The Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners, ALDRAP, has insisted that a Federal High Court judgment validated the Blue Silks rank which it introduced as an alternative to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, for non-litigation lawyers in the country.
ALDRAP made the assertion in a statement signed by its Executive Secretary, Dr Clinton Tonye Jaja, issued in response to the rejection of the Blue Silks rank by the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee, LPPC, of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA.
The LPPC, which is vested with the responsibility of conferring the SAN rank, had in a statement issued by its Secretary, the Chief Register of the Supreme Court, Kabir Akanbi, condemned the “introduction and recent use of the purported title or designation referred to as ‘Blue Silk’ within certain quarters of the legal community”.
The statement stressed, “The SAN rank 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.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the LPPC does not recognize 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 LPPC warned that lawyers parading the Blue Silks rank could be sanctioned for professional misconduct.
However, countering the the LPPC position, ALDRAP pointed to a judgment delivered by Justice Mohammed Garba Umar of the Abuja Federal High Court, dated 27th January 2026, which it said clearly stated that the LPPC and the NBA cannot penalise any Nigerian lawyer who accepts the Blue Silks rank.
“The reason (ratio) decidendi for the said judgment is that the NBA and LPPC can only regulate the lawyers involved in the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) which is the only rank mentioned inside the Legal Practitioners Act, 1962.
“Since the rank of Blue Silks is not mentioned inside the Legal Practitioners Act, 1962, neither the NBA nor the LPPC can regulate or penalise the lawyers taking the Blue Silks rank in accordance with the exercise of the freedom of association of the Incorporated Trustees of the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners (ALDRAP) as guaranteed under Section 40 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999,” ALDRAP argued.
Judgment is being awaited in a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed before an Abuja Federal High Court by ALDRAP following sanctions threatened by the NBA over the Blue Silks rank.
In the suit numbered FHC/ABJ/CS/421/ 2026, the Incorporated Trustees of the Nigerian Bar Association, Dr Omobolaji Ojibara, Mr Kabir Eniola Akanbi (Secretary of the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, LPDC), the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee, LPPC, and Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, LPDC, were listed as the 1st to 5th respondents.
ALDRAP asked the court for an order enforcing its members’ fundamental rights, in accordance with sections 36(1), 40 and 46(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, Ratification and Enforcement Act, Chapter A9, LFN, 2004.
It also asked the court to declare that the action of the NBA and the other respondents is unlawful and amounts to a breach of its members’ rights to fair hearing and freedom of assembly and association, protected by Section 40 of the Nigerian constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights.
The court was equally asked to make an order of perpetual injunction restraining the respondents from dragging the applicants before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) on the grounds of the Blue Silks rank.
The applicants (ALDRAP), in the same vein, asked the court to order the respondents to pay them the sum of N50 million as compensation for the breach of their fundamental rights. They also asked the court to order the respondents to issue a public apology for violating their fundamental rights.
Commenting on the issues surrounding the Blue Silks rank, ALDRAP executive secretary, Jaja, said there is a need to redefine who qualifies to be referred to as a lawyer. He explained that the Blue Silks ranks was designed specifically for non-litigation lawyers.
Jaja said, “We need to re-define our definition of who qualifies as a lawyer. A lawyer is anyone who holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree.
“A legal practitioner is a lawyer who in addition to holding an LLB degree has also attended the Nigerian Law School and is called to the Bar in accordance with the Legal Practitioners Act, 1962.
“There are many lawyers and law degree holders who have not yet attended the Nigerian Law School. There are also plenty lawyers who have attended the Nigerian Law School but are not interested in litigation or courtroom practise.
“Their areas of practice of the law does not even require the additional call-to-Bar certificate, their LLB degree and additional specialised courses is sufficient for them to carry on practice of law within their specialised area of law Examples include: 1. Legislative drafting lawyers under the National Assembly Service Commission Act, 2014; 2. Law lecturers under the Council of Legal Education Act, 1962; 3. Duty solicitors and paralegals under the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria Act, 2011; 4. Company incorporation lawyers under the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2023; 5. Data protection lawyers and data controllers under the Nigerian Data Protection Commission Act, 2023.
“It is for these categories of lawyers and law graduates whose legal and law practice that the ALDRAP and the Body of Senior Counsel of Nigeria (BOSCON) have designed the Blue Silks rank of recognition for their legal excellence for non-litigation Nigerian lawyers.”