Nnewi, Anambra State – 27 June 2025
The highlight of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Nnewi Branch Law Week, themed “Facing the Future,” came on Thursday when Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, FCIArb (fondly “Mrs. B”), chaired a landmark panel on the Legal Practitioners’ Remuneration Order 2023 and its enforcement.
Mrs. Badejo-Okusanya underscored that fair, regulated fees are “non-negotiable for a sustainable and dignified legal profession.”
Addressing a hall packed with senior advocates, young lawyers, and policy researchers, she warned that ignoring the Order erodes professional value, breeds unethical under-pricing, and ultimately “harms the very clients we seek to serve.”
“Economic justice for lawyers is not a luxury; it is the bedrock of an independent and effective Bar,” she said, urging branches nationwide to adopt uniform compliance strategies and to report violators swiftly.
Panelists analysed current compliance levels, highlighted best-practice billing models, and mapped out enforcement frameworks that protect young practitioners from exploitative fee arrangements. Consensus emerged on three priorities:
- Branch-level Remuneration Desks to monitor, educate, and mediate fee-related disputes.
- Mandatory CPD modules on the Remuneration Order for newly enrolled lawyers.
- Collaborative enforcement with courts and regulatory bodies to sanction non-compliant firms.
Mrs. Badejo-Okusanya closed with a rallying call:
“To face the future with confidence, the Bar must first value its own labour. Fair pay builds a stronger, more ethical profession—one capable of championing justice for all.”
The session affirmed the NBA’s resolve to entrench transparent, standardized fee structures and signalled a pivotal step toward economic empowerment across the Nigerian legal landscape.
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