I extend warm fraternal greetings to the leadership and members of the Nigerian Bar Association, Damaturu Branch, on the occasion of your scheduled Congress Meeting holding on Saturday, 20 December 2025.
I commend the Branch for the consistency with which it sustains institutional engagement, professional discourse, and internal democracy within the Bar.
I am particularly delighted by the choice of theme for the Continuing Legal Education session, “The Future of Legal Service: How the 2023 Remuneration Order Reshapes Client–Lawyer Relationships.”
This topic is not only timely; it is existential to the survival, dignity, and credibility of the legal profession in Nigeria.
The Legal Practitioners’ Remuneration Order 2023 represents a deliberate attempt to recalibrate the lawyer–client relationship from one distorted by price undercutting, informality, and value erosion, to one anchored on professionalism, transparency, and mutual respect.
For far too long, the legal practitioner has borne the consequences of an unregulated pricing culture that undervalued legal services, weakened ethical standards, and compromised access to quality justice. The Remuneration Order seeks to correct this imbalance.
More fundamentally, the Order reasserts an important principle: that legal services are not mere commodities but specialised professional engagements deserving of fair compensation.
By providing a clearer framework for fees, it strengthens trust between lawyers and clients, reduces disputes over billing, and promotes informed consent at the point of engagement.
In doing so, it also enhances accountability on both sidesclients better understand what they are paying for, while lawyers are compelled to deliver value commensurate with their fees.
As we look to the future of legal service delivery, compliance with and internalisation of the 2023 Remuneration Order will be critical.
It will influence how young lawyers are trained, how law firms structure their practices, and how the public perceives the legal profession.
It is therefore fitting that this conversation is being led by Chief Emeka Obegolu, SAN, whose stewardship of the NBA Remuneration Committee has been central to this reform process.
I encourage members of the Damaturu Bar to engage robustly with this session, not merely as a regulatory update, but as an opportunity to collectively redefine the economics, ethics, and sustainability of legal practice in Nigeria.
The strength of the Bar lies not only in advocacy but also in its capacity for self-regulation and forward thinking.
I wish the Congress deliberations every success and assure you of my continued solidarity with the Damaturu Branch and the larger Nigerian Bar.
Barth Aniche Okoye
Immediate Past Publicity Secretary
NBA Eastern Bar Forum
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