The Nigerian Bar Association said the recent amendment to the rules of professional conduct (RPC) for legal practitioners 2007 has attracted mockery to the association.

The RPC highlights the professional duties of lawyers when dealing with clients, courts and their colleagues.

The Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, in an amendment to the RPC earlier in September, had removed the use of NBA stamp and seal on court processes.

The use of the stamps is no longer compulsory under the new provision, giving room for non-lawyers to also submit court processes.

However, the NBA, in a letter to the AGF, signed by its president, Olumide Akpata, said that the amendment to the RPC appeared to have been done without following due process.

The letter which dated September 15, 2020, read. “Our position, Honourable Attorney-General, is that the Legal Practitioners Act (as amended) confers the power to issue or amend the RPC on the General Council of the bar (‘Bar Council’) albeit under your leadership. Consequently, the RPC or amendments thereto may only be enacted and issued after they have been duly approved at a properly convened meeting of the Bar Council.”

“I have been duly informed by NBA representatives on the Bar Council and other members of the Bar Council who have reached out to me, that to the best of their knowledge, no meeting of the Bar Council was convened to discuss any amendment to the RPC or to approve the Instrument. It therefore appears that the Instrument was enacted without proper authority.”

The NBA made it known that certain portions of the amended RPC, would allow quacks take advantage of the profession.