Senior lawyers on Monday disagreed sharply over calls for the abolition of the Nigerian Law School as concerns continue to grow over the declining standard of legal practice in the country.
The debate took place at the 2026 Legal Education Summit organised by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), where the Vice Chancellor of Imo State University, Prof. Uchefula Chukwumaeze (SAN), argued that the Nigerian Law School had outlived its relevance.
Chukwumaeze maintained that the Council of Legal Education (CLE), which oversees the training of law graduates before their admission to the Bar, should no longer directly handle legal training.
According to him, the Council should focus solely on setting standards and requirements for Call to Bar, while accredited university law faculties take over the responsibility of training prospective lawyers.
“If we are to discuss legal education, we must first examine its foundation,” he said.
Drawing comparisons with countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom, the senior advocate noted that universities in those countries handle legal training, while professional bodies focus on accreditation and examinations.
“There is no Law School in the United States or the UK. Universities teach, while the relevant legal bodies regulate and examine,” he stated.
He further argued that other professional regulatory bodies in Nigeria, including those in medicine, nursing and engineering, do not operate separate institutions for professional training.
“The Council of Legal Education should abandon the idea of teaching. The Law School has served its purpose,” he said.
Chukwumaeze also proposed reforms to the admission requirements for studying law in Nigerian universities.
He recommended the removal of Literature in English as a compulsory requirement and called for the abolition of specific JAMB subject combinations for law candidates.
According to him, prospective law students should only be required to obtain credit passes in English Language and any three other subjects.
He added that the Council of Legal Education, in collaboration with the National Universities Commission (NUC), should focus on setting minimum standards for legal education nationwide.
“The Nigerian Law School should be abolished as an institution, while faculties of law in universities should take over legal education,” he said.
The proposal, however, sparked sharp reactions among senior lawyers at the summit, highlighting growing divisions within the legal profession over the future of legal education in Nigeria.
