Regulatory &
controlling bodies & organs of the legal profession are statutorily
established and responsible for the regulation of activities of legal practitioners
in Nigeria. These bodies include; the General Council of the Bar, the Body of
Benchers, the Nigerian Bar Association, the Council of Legal Education, the
Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, the Legal Practitioners Privileges
Committee, the National Judicial Council, the Federal Judicial Service
Commission, the State Judicial Service Commission, the Judicial Service
Committee of the Federal Capital Territory and the Legal Practitioners
Remuneration Committee. We shall briefly consider the legal framework, powers,
functions and composition of each of these controlling and regulatory bodies.
a.
The General Council of the Bar
The General Council of the Bar is
established by section 1 (1) of the
Legal Practitioners Act.
The membership of the General Council of the Bar consists of:
i.
the Attorney-General of the Federation who
is the President of the Council,
ii.
the Attorney-Generals of the States,
iii.
20 Legal Practitioners nominated by the Nigerian Bar Association, seven of
whom shall not be less than 10 years standing at the bar.
The quorum
for the meeting of the General Council of the Bar shall be 8 members.
The functions
of the General Council of the Bar are:
i.
Making
and reviewing of the Rules of Professional Conduct and
ii.
Making of
the Rules of Accounts to be kept by legal practitioners with the approval of
the Attorney-General of the Federation – see section 20(1) & (2) of the Legal Practitioners Act.
b.
Body of Benchers
The Body of Benchers is established by section 3(1) of the Legal Practitioners (Amendment) Act as a body
of legal practitioners of the highest
distinction in the legal profession in Nigeria with the responsibility for
the formal call to the Bar of persons seeking to become legal practitioners.
Indeed, an aspirant to the Bar must be sponsored by 2 members of the Body of
Benchers before such a person can be called to the Nigerian Bar.
The Body of Benchers is a body corporate with perpetual succession and
a common seal. It is a juristic person that can sue and be sued in its own
name.
The members of the Body of
Benchers consist of the following:
i.
Chief Justice of Nigeria
(Honourable Justice Mahmoud Muhammad) and all Justices of the Supreme Court;
ii.
The President of the Court
of Appeal
iii. The Attorney-General of the Federation
iv. The Presiding Justices of Court of Appeal Divisions
v.
The Chief Judge of the
Federal High Court
vi. The Chief Judge of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory
vii. The Chief Judges of the States of the Federation
viii. The Attorneys-General of the all the States of the Federation
ix. The President of the Nigerian Bar Association
x.
The Chairman of the
Council of Legal Education
xi. 30 legal practitioners nominated by the Nigerian Bar Association
xii. And such number of persons, not
exceeding 10, who appear to the Body
of Benchers to be eminent members of the legal profession in Nigeria of not
less than 15 years post-call standing.
A person may cease to be a member of the Body of Benchers if:
i.
he or she resigns
voluntarily or
ii.
if he ceases to hold the
office by virtue of which he was appointed or
iii.
if he is removed for
misconduct or other sufficient ground.
The Body of Benchers may by regulations provide for an increase in their
membership, conferment of life membership on members, tenure of office of
members, appointment of honorary members and the composition and quorum for
their meetings.
The quorum for meeting of the
Body of Benchers shall be 10 members. Please note that not all
judges are members of the Body of Benchers.
There 2 types of Life Benchers of
the Body of Benchers:
i.
Statutory Life Benchers – the statutory
life bencher privilege is statutorily and automatically conferred on a Chief
Justice of Nigeria and continues even after the Chief Justice of Nigeria
retires.
ii.
Appointed Life Benchers – these are
members who are appointed as life benchers by the Body of Benchers from among
themselves.
Rights and Privileges of
Life Benchers
A life bencher has the following rights and privileges:
i.
Exclusive right to sit in
Inner Bar, or where there are no such facilities for an inner Bar in a court
room; he shall sit on the front row of seats available for legal practitioners
in such courtroom.
ii.
Right to mention any
motion in which he is appearing or any other cause or matter which slated for Mention
only and not for hearing out of turn on Cause List.
Functions of the Body of Benchers
The functions of the Body
of Benchers include:
i.
Exercise of disciplinary
jurisdiction over members of the legal profession;
ii.
Formal Call to Bar of persons
seeking to becomes Legal Practitioners;
iii. Issuance of Certificate of Call to Bar to new wigs);
iv. Prescription of the number of dinning terms which an aspirant to the Bar
shall keep before he is qualified for Call to Bar;
v.
Exercise of disciplinary jurisdiction
over students seeking to become members of the Legal Profession, thus ensuring
that aspirants are of good character.
vi. Sponsorship of aspirants to the Bar;
vii. Prescription of Call Fees to be paid by aspirants to the Bar;
viii. Taking all measures, whether by way of regulations or otherwise, which
appear to the Body, necessary or expedient for maintaining at all times the
traditional values of the profession;
ix. Appointment of Caretaker Committee to run affairs of the NBA where
circumstances demand; and
x.
Maintenance of the
traditional values of the profession
c.
The Nigeria Bar Association
The Nigerian Bar
Association is an association of all legal practitioners in Nigeria, which
enjoins perpetual succession; but, is not a juristic personality. Membership is
automatic upon enrolment at the Supreme Court of Nigeria, after Call to Bar.
Practicing fees must
be paid latest by 31st of March each year. Amount to be paid depends
on the number of years at the Bar. If a person is called to Bar after this date
(31st March), then such a person must pay practising fee within one
month after Call to Bar.
Functions of the Nigerian Bar Association
The functions of the Nigerian Bar
Association are:
(i)
The
maintenance of an independent and honourable Bar and its integrity;
(ii)
The promotion
of good relations among members of the Bar
(iii) The promotion of legal education;
(iv) The better administration of justice;
(v)
The
promotion of law reform;
(vi) The maintenance of the highest standards of
professional conduct, etiquette and discipline;
(vii) The encouragement and protection of the public right
of access to the courts;
(viii) The promotion of the rule of law;
(ix) The protection of fundamental liberties and the
independence of the judiciary;
(x)
The
promotion and aiding of both newly qualified and incapacitated and aged members
of the Association.
(xi) The keeping of a database of lawyers and law offices;
(xii) The investigation of complaints against legal
practitioners and referral to the LPDC if satisfied that a prima facie case has
been established
(xiii) The performance of various advisory functions to
various governmental agencies.
The Association's day-to-day affairs are managed by
the National Executive Committee (made up of elected officials and local
representatives) supported by other standing and ad-hoc committees while the
General Conference exercises over-riding powers.
The local branches of the Association cater for the
immediate interests of members at the local level and represent them at the
National Executive Committee. The NBA has representatives in all other
governing bodies of the legal profession and actively participates in
decision-making. Every enrolled legal practitioner is qualified to be a member;
however membership is not compulsory.
The substance of the body is provided for by the Legal
Practitioners Act which stipulates that a legal practitioner shall pay a
practicing fee before being given a right of audience in court. The Chief
Registrar of the Supreme Court is mandated to pay over to the Nigerian Bar
Association, 90% of the practicing fees collected each year from legal
practitioners. See section 8(2) of the Legal Practitioners Act.
Rule 10 of
the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners 2007 mandates that all legal documents signed by legal
practitioners must have the seal and stamp of the Nigerian Bar Association.
Rule 13
of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners 2007 provide
that every person who sets up private legal practice either alone or in
association or partnership with another or others shall not later than Thirty
(30) days after commencement of such legal practice and if he continuous to
carry on the practice deliver a notice in the prescribed form to the Branch of
Nigerian Bar Association where the law office is.
National
Officers of the Nigerian Bar Association
The national officers of the Nigerian Bar Association
elected by members financially up-to-date are:
i.
President
ii.
First Vice President
iii.
Second Vice President
iv.
Third Vice President
v.
General Secretary
vi.
First Assistant Secretary
vii.
Second Assistant Secretary
viii.
Treasurer
ix.
Financial Secretary
x.
Publicity Secretary
d.
Council of Legal Education
The Council of Legal
Education was set up by the Legal Education Act of 1962 pursuant to the
recommendations of the Unsworth
Committee. The Council of Legal Education is the body primarily responsible
for the education of persons aspiring to the legal profession in Nigeria. It is
the Proprietor of the Nigerian Law School. It is the body that set up and
manages the institution.
The Chairman of the Council
of Legal Education stays in office for 4 years and can be reappointed for
another 4 years. The same condition applies to all other members of the office.
Membership of the Council of Legal Education
The Council of Legal
Education consists of the following members:
i.
A Chairman appointed by
the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the recommendation of the
Attorney-General of the Federation.
ii.
Attorneys-General of
States or the Solicitor General where there is no Attorney General.
iii.
A representative of the
Federal Ministry of Justice to be appointed by Attorney General of the
Federation.
iv.
President of the Nigerian
Bar Association.
v.
The Heads (Deans) of Faculties
of Law of recognised universities in Nigeria whose course of legal studies is
approved by the Council as sufficient for admission to the Nigerian Law School.
vi.
15 legal practitioners of
not less than 10 years post call standing who shall be selected or elected by
the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).
vii.
The Director-General of
the Nigerian Law School
viii.
2 authors of published
learned works in the field of law, to be appointed by the Attorney-General of
the Federation.
Please note that the Attorney General of the Federation is NOT a member of the Council of Legal Education.
Functions of the Council
of Legal Education
The functions of the Council of Legal Education are:
i.
Responsible for legal
education & professional training of aspirants to the bar as well as
discipline of aspirants.
ii.
Responsible for accreditation
of Law Faculties & training at Nigerian Law School.
iii.
Responsible for issuing a
qualifying certificate to any Nigerian that successfully completes an academic
year of practical training in the Nigerian Law School.
iv.
Responsible for continuing
legal education (note that the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) is also
responsible for this, see Rule 11 of the
Rules of Professional Conduct.
This is mandatory for law professionals, examples include: workshops/sessions
at the NBA Conference. Also, Rule 11(4)
of the Rules of Professional Conduct provides that the required
credit hours for every year are: 24 hours for Legal Practitioners of less than
5yrs post call; 18 hours for Legal Practitioners of less than 10yrs post call
but more than 5yrs post call; and 12 hours for Legal Practitioners of above
10yrs post call).
v.
Incidental powers to do
such other things – for purposes of performing its functions e.g. prescribing
good conduct for aspirants to the Nigerian Law School & conditions for
admission into the law school.
Appointment as Director General
of the Nigerian Law School
A person may be appointed as Director-General of the Nigerian Law School
where he satisfies one of the following conditions:
i.
He is the holder or a
former holder of the office of a Professor in a Faculty of Law in a Nigerian
University; or
ii.
He is qualified for
appointment as a Professor in a Faculty of Law in a Nigerian University; or
iii. He is a legal practitioner who has on or before the date of his
application been in active practice for not less than 10yrs
e.
Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee
This is a committee of the Body of Benchers. The Committee
was established by section 10(1) of the
Legal Practitioners Act 1962. The Legal Practitioners Disciplinary
Committee is a committee of the Body of Benchers that have the responsibility of
determining and considering charges brought against legal practitioners in
Nigeria who have misbehaved in their capacity as legal practitioners.
Membership of the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee
The members of the Legal
Practitioners Disciplinary Committee include:
i.
A Chairman who shall not
be either the Chief Justice of Nigeria or a Justice of the Supreme Court,
ii.
the President of the Court
of Appeal and one Justice of the Court of Appeal,
iii.
two Chief Judges, these
may be that of States or the Federal Capital Territory,
iv.
two Attorney Generals one
of whom may be the Attorney General of the Federation and the Attorney General
of a State or two Attorneys General of states,
v.
four members of the Nigerian
Bar Association who are in no way concerned or connected with the investigation
of a complaint or a decision by the Association to lay a complaint against a
legal practitioners before the Committee.
Functions of the Legal
Practitioners Disciplinary Committee
The functions of the Legal
Practitioners Disciplinary Committee include:
i.
Consideration and
determination of complaints brought against legal practitioners; example,
lawyer converting client’s money for personal needs; use of certificate of
occupancy in their possession for their own personal needs, etc;
ii.
Giving of directions to
the Registrar of the Supreme Court as to the punishment to be given to a legal
practitioner who has been found guilty of professional misconduct; for
instance, one of the punishment is the striking-out of the names of legal
practitioner or suspension from practice.
iii.
Restoration of names which
have been struck off (this happens in rear circumstances where the person has
shown remorse and lived a clean life for many years), or cancellation of a
suspension of practice – see section 14(1)(b)
of the Legal Practitioners Act.
f.
Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee
The Legal Practitioners
Privileges Committee was established by the section 5(3) Legal Practitioners Act (As Amended).
Membership of the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee
The members of the Legal
Practitioners Privileges Committee include:
i.
the Chief Justice of
Nigeria who shall be the Chairman,
ii.
the Attorney General of
the Federation,
iii.
one Justice of the Supreme
Court,
iv.
the President of the Court
of Appeal,
v.
Five Chief Judges of
States,
vi.
the Chief Judge of the
Federal High Court,
vii.
Five Legal Practitioners
who are Senior Advocates of Nigeria.
The Chief Justice of Nigeria who is the Chairman of the Committee is
responsible for the appointment of some members of the Committee in
consultation with the Attorney General of the Federation.
Functions of the Legal
Practitioners Privileges Committee
The functions of the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee include:
i.
Conferment of the rank of
Senior Advocate of Nigeria on deserving legal practitioners in Nigeria
ii.
Making of rules relating
to Senior Advocates of Nigeria, with the approval of the Body of Benchers, in
the following areas:
i.
the restrictions on the
rights of Senior Advocates of Nigeria to practice.
ii.
the privileges to be
accorded to the Senior Advocates of Nigeria,
iii.
Ensuring the dignity of
the rank of the Senior Advocates of Nigeria,
iv.
the mode of appearance
before the Courts by Senior Advocates of Nigeria
iii.
withdrawal of the rank of Senior
Advocates of Nigeria from a holder either absolutely or for a short period of
time.
Guidelines for Conferment of
Senior Advocates of Nigeria 2013
The Guidelines for Conferment of Senior Advocates of Nigeria 2013 replaced
the 2011 Guidelines. According to the current guidelines:
i.
the award of the rank of Senior
Advocates of Nigeria is strictly on merit. An unsuccessful applicant shall be
informed as to the reason for his failure to qualify, where he complains; he
can refer the complaint to an Independent Complaints Committee.
ii.
the Conditions for the
award of the rank of Senior Advocates of Nigeria are:
(i)
10 years post call,
(ii)
must have been actively
practising as an advocate in Nigeria for 10years before application,
(iii)
Pay a non-refundable processing
fee (was N300,000 last year),
(iv)
must cite at least 17
contested cases handled of which at least 3 is in the Supreme Court, 6 in the
Court of Appeal, and 8 occurred in the High Court. Citations of the law reports
should be given or the Certified True Copy if the case is unreported.
(v)
It should be manifest from
such cases that the applicant himself has conducted the cases from the High
Court up to the Supreme Court. Where however, the applicant is relying on cases
he only handled at the Supreme Court, he should cite six (6) judgments of the
Supreme Court.
(vi)
The applicant is required
to additionally provide particulars of recent cases that demonstrate that he is
currently engaged in active full time current legal practice and that he
abreast with current developments in the field of law.
In determining 'active full
time current legal practice' and in addition to such inquiry as it considers
necessary, the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee may consult:
(a)
The Chief Judge of the
State where the candidate has his main law office; and
(b)
The Local Branch of the
Nigerian Bar Association.
(vii)
The candidate must be of
good character and must have no pending disciplinary case or complaint relating
to professional misconduct against him.
A candidate shall be considered ineligible if in the opinion of the
Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee the candidate is adjudged to be of the
following disposition:
(a)
bad behaviour, whether in
or out of court; poor temperament or propensity to insult or assault people or
cause them harm or put them in state of fear of bodily harm;
(b)
indulgence in drug,
alcoholic or other similar substances of addiction;
(c)
evidence of moral
depravity or other socially unacceptable behaviour;
(d)
abuse of legal trust such
as embezzlement or mismanagement of client's funds;
(e)
indulgence in blatant
self-seeking praise or advertisement through sponsored (directly or indirectly)
songs by musicians, records or tapes or other media such as print or electronic
media; and
(f)
touting for briefs or
engaging in any form of canvassing for cases.
(viii)
In general terms a
candidate must:
(a)
demonstrate high
professional and personal integrity;
(b)
be honest and
straightforward in all his professional/personal dealings;
(c)
be of good character and
reputation;
(d)
be candid with clients and
professional colleagues;
(e)
A candidate must have
sound knowledge of the law and demonstrable excellence in skills as an advocate
with clear ability to use such knowledge for the advancement of the
administration of Justice.
(f)
A candidate for the rank
of Senior Advocate should demonstrate tangible contribution to the development
of the law through case law or publications in recognised journals or scholarly
presentation at national or international conferences considered by the Legal
Practitioners Privileges Committee as of particular significance.
(g)
A candidate should
demonstrate clear qualities of leadership and loyalty to the legal profession.
He must have paid consistently as and when due his practicing fees and
membership dues to the local branch in the last 10 years preceding his
application and is involved in the provision of pro bono legal services to
indigent clients or some form of community service. He must present evidence of
income tax payment paid as and when due for a period of 3 years preceding the
application.
(h)
A candidate should have or
be a partner in chambers considered by the Legal Practitioners Privileges
Committee to have good and up to date facilities including a good quality law
library with good working environment. There must be at least five full time
junior legal practitioners and other paralegal or support staff in full time
salaried employment.
Summarily, a candidate must have contributed immensely to the
development of law, have a standard of your law office and library, have at
least 5 full time junior legal practitioners, must have paid practising fees on
time, have at least 10 years post call; show evidence of pro bono cases handled
(latter is a new requirement).
It must be noted that the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee may
in appropriate circumstances, appoint an academic who has distinguished himself
and has made substantial contribution to legal scholarship and jurisprudence
through teaching, research and published works in any Nigerian University,
Research Institute, Nigerian Law School and other recognised institutions. An
applicant for the award of Senior Advocate of Nigeria under this category shall
furnish at least 20 copies of his published works to the Legal Practitioners
Privileges Committee.
Privileges of a Senior
Advocate of Nigeria
These are contained in section
5(7) Senior Advocates of Nigeria (Privileges and Functions) Rules 1979.
They include:
i.
The exclusive right to sit
in the Inner Bar or where there are no faculties for the Inner Bar on the first
row of the seats available for legal practitioners;
ii.
The right to mention any
cause or matter listed for mention and not for hearing, and any motion in which
he is appearing, out of its turn on the cause list for the day; and
iii.
The privileges of wearing
silk gowns.
g.
National Judicial Council
The National Judicial
Council is established under section
153(i) of the 1999 Constitution.
Membership of the National Judicial Council
The National Judicial
Council is composed of the following members:
(a)
the Chief Justice of
Nigeria who shall be the Chairman
(b)
the Next most senior
Justice of the Supreme Court who shall be the Deputy Chairman
(c)
President of the Court of
Appeal
(d)
5 retired Justices of the
Supreme Court or Court of Appeal selected by the Chief Justice of Nigeria
(e)
Chief Judge of the Federal
High Court
(f)
President of the National
Industrial Court
(g)
5 Chief Judges of States
to be appointed by the Chief Justice of Nigeria in rotation to serve for 2yrs
(h)
1 Grand Kadi of the Sharia
Court of Appeal to be appointed by Chief Justice of Nigeria to serve in rotation
for 2yrs
(i)
1 President of the
Customary Court of Appeal to be appointed by Chief Justice of Nigeria to serve
in rotation for 2yrs
(j)
5 members of the NBA of
not less than 15yrs post call and at least 1 of them must be a SAN
(k)
2 persons who in the
opinion of the CJN are of unquestionable integrity (must not necessarily be
legal professionals)
Functions of the National
Judicial Council
The National Judicial Council has the power to perform the following
functions:
i.
Recommendation of persons
for appointment as judicial officers to the President and Governors of the
states as the case may be;
ii.
Recommendation of Persons
for removal as judicial officers to the President and Governors of the states
as the case may be
iii.
Exercise of disciplinary
powers over all judiciary officers in the country; and
iv.
Deal with such matters
relating to broad issues of policy and administration.
h.
Federal Judicial Service Commission
This is a Federal
Government Institution established for the exercise of the following powers.
Functions of the Federal Judicial Service Commission
The Federal Judicial
Service Commission has the power to perform the following functions:
(i)
Advise the National
Judicial Council in nominating persons for appointment as:
(1)
Chief Justice of Nigeria,
(2)
Justice of the Supreme
Court,
(3)
President of the Court of
Appeal,
(4)
Justice of the Court of
Appeal,
(5)
Chief Judge of the Federal
High Court
(6)
Judge of the Federal High
Court,
(7)
Chairman and Members of
the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
(ii) Recommend
to the National Judicial Council, the removal from office of the above
mentioned judicial officers.
Membership of the Federal Judicial Service Commission
The Federal Judicial
Service Commission is comprised of the following members:
1.
Chief Justice of the
Federation
2.
President of the Court of
Appeal
3.
Attorney-General of the
Federation
4.
Chief Judge of the Federal
High Court
5.
Two persons each of whom
must have qualified to practice as a legal practitioner in Nigeria for a period
of not less than 15 years, from a list of not less than four (4) persons so
qualified and recommended by the Nigerian Bar Association; and
6.
Two other persons, not
being practitioners, who in the opinion of the President are of unquestionable
integrity.
i.
Judicial Service Committee of the Federal Capital Territory Abuja.
This is a Federal
Government Institution established for the exercise of the following powers.
Functions of the Judicial Service Committee of the FCT
The Judicial Service
Committee of the FCT has the power to perform the following functions:
(1)
To recommend to the
National Judicial Council suitable persons for nomination for appointment to
the office of:
(a)
Chief Judge of the Federal
Capital Territory, Abuja;
(b)
Grand Kadi of the Sharia
Court of Appeal of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja;
(c)
President of the Customary
Court of Appeal of the Federal Capital Territory Abuja;
(d)
Kadi of the Sharia Court
of Appeal of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja;
(e)
Judge of the Customary
Court of Appeal of the Federal Capital Territory Abuja.
(2)
Subject to the provisions
of the Constitution, to recommend to the National Judicial Council, the removal
from office of the judicial officers mentioned above.
Membership of the Judicial Service Committee of the FCT
The members of the
Judicial Service Committee of the FCT are:
(a)
Chief Judge of the Federal
Capital Territory, Abuja
(b)
Attorney General of the
Federation
(c)
Grand Kadi of the Sharia
Court of Appeal of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja;
(d)
President of the Customary
Court of Appeal of the Federal Capital Territory Abuja.
(e)
One person who is a legal
practitioner and who has been qualified to practice as a legal practitioner in
Nigeria for a period of not less than 12 years; and
(f)
One other person, not
being a legal practitioner, who in the opinion of the President is of
unquestionable character and integrity.
j.
State Judicial Service Commission
This is a State Government
Institution established for the exercise of the following powers.
Functions of the State Judicial Service Commission
The State Judicial Service
Commission has the power to perform the following functions:
(a)
Advise the National
Judicial Council in nominating persons for appointment as:
i.
Chief Judge of a state,
ii.
Grand Kadi of the Sharia
Court of Appeal of a state,
iii.
President of the Customary
Court of Appeal of a State
iv.
Judges of the High Court
of a State
v.
Kadis of the Sharia Court
of Appeal of a State
vi.
Judges of the Customary
Court of Appeal of a state
(b)
Recommend to the National
Judicial Council, the removal from office of the above mentioned judicial
officers.
k.
Legal Practitioners Remuneration Committee
The Legal Practitioners
Remuneration Committee is established by virtue of section 15 of the Legal Practitioners Act.
Membership of the Legal Practitioners Remuneration Committee
The Legal Practitioners
Remuneration Committee is made up of the following persons;
a.
The Attorney General of
the Federation who is the chairman;
b.
The Attorneys-General of
the various states;
c.
The President of the
Nigeria Bar Association;
d.
Three legal practitioners
who are members of the Nigerian Bar Association.
Functions of the Legal Practitioners Remuneration Committee
The Legal Practitioners
Remuneration Committee is responsible for the making of Orders regulating the
charges or remuneration of legal practitioners.
© Onyekachi Duru Esq and www.legalemperors.com, 2016. (All Rights Reserved) Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Onyekachi Duru Esq and www.legalemperors.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
© Onyekachi Duru Esq and www.legalemperors.com, 2016. (All Rights Reserved) Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Onyekachi Duru Esq and www.legalemperors.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.