The Federal High Court Abuja yesterday dismissed a suit seeking to introduce the rank of ‘Blue Silk’ for lawyers in Nigeria as an alternative to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).
Delivering judgment, Justice James Omotosho held that the suit lacked merit and ruled that only the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC) has the legal authority to confer the SAN rank on lawyers in the country.
The suit was filed by the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners and Tonye Jaja.
In the suit filed in March, the applicants asked for, among others, a declaration that the respondents’ actions amounted to a violation of their rights to freedom of assembly and association guaranteed under Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution and Article 10(1) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
