2025 NBA Lagos Law Week Opens with Clarion Call to Reclaim Ethics and Embrace Innovation

The 2025 Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Lagos Law Week commenced yesterday with an impactful opening ceremony at the Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos, setting the tone for a week-long discourse around legal ethics, innovation, and the future of legal practice in Nigeria.

Themed “Reimagining the Practice of Law: Ethics, Innovation & the Future – Let’s Be Lawyers Again”, the event brought together an impressive assembly of legal minds and dignitaries including Judges of the Lagos State High Court, Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), public servants, and private sector leaders.

Delivering the opening goodwill message, the Honourable Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of Lagos State, Mr. Lawal Pedro, SAN, hailed the NBA Lagos Branch for curating a theme that “captures a deep yearning across the profession and broader society for a return to the core values of law.” He emphasised that while innovation and digital transformation are reshaping the legal terrain, ethics remain non-negotiable.

“As lawyers, we are custodians of the rule of law and guardians of justice. Ethics is the moral compass of our practice,” Pedro stated. “The call to ‘be lawyers again’ is a call to anchor our practice in integrity, empathy, and service—no matter how much technology reshapes our methods.”

Also delivering goodwill remarks, NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, applauded the Lagos Branch’s leadership and planning committee for spearheading a reflective and forward-facing theme. He called on legal practitioners to recommit to the principles of integrity and professional responsibility, reminding attendees of the new Mandatory Continuing Professional Development (MCPD) Rules 2025, which require a minimum of five CPD points annually.

“We must return to the core of what makes us lawyers—integrity, professionalism, and fidelity to the rule of law,” Osigwe noted. “The sub-theme ‘Let’s Be Lawyers Again’ is a timely and urgent call to ethical renewal.”

The keynote address was delivered by Richard Atkinson, KC, President of the Law Society of England & Wales, which echoed similar sentiments around ethics and innovation. While recognising the utility of Artificial Intelligence and digital tools in modern legal practice, he warned against an overreliance on technology at the expense of human judgment.

“Technology should be a tool, not a substitute. The critical thinking and professional discretion of a lawyer must remain at the heart of our work,” Atkinson advised.

Beyond professional conversations, the tone of the event resonated with deeper societal meaning. The opening ceremony evoked a call to action, reflecting on the legacy of Nigerian legal icons who championed justice and civil liberties.

Referencing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s quote, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” the conference reinforced the legal profession’s responsibility to stand as a bulwark against injustice and to rebuild public trust in the rule of law.

The 2025 NBA Lagos Law Week continues through June 20, offering a dynamic mix of plenary sessions, networking engagements, and masterclasses. Conversations will span a range of topics, including innovation in legal practice, restoring public trust in the Legal profession, the business of law, professional regulation and reshaping legal education for the future.

As the conference unfolds, the central message is clear: innovation is necessary, but the profession must be grounded in the ethics, empathy, and leadership that once defined—and must again define—the Nigerian lawyer.