A Federal High Court in Abuja has ruled that the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) cannot impose additional conditions on lawyers before they are allowed to practise law or appear in court.
Justice Mohammed Umar delivered the judgment in a suit filed by Victor Nwadike against the NBA, the General Council of the Bar, and the Attorney-General of the Federation.
The court declared parts of the Rules of Professional Conduct (RPC) 2023 and the Mandatory Continuing Professional Development (MCPD) Rules 2025 invalid, stating that they go beyond the powers granted under the Legal Practitioners Act.
According to the judgment, the Legal Practitioners Act remains the main law regulating legal practice in Nigeria, and neither the NBA nor the General Council of the Bar has the authority to add conditions outside the law.
The court specifically nullified requirements linking Continuing Professional Development compliance to the renewal of practising licences, issuance of NBA stamps and seals, and lawyers’ right to appear in court.
Justice Umar also restrained the NBA from enforcing any policy that makes CPD compliance a condition for legal practitioners to practise law or file court processes.
The ruling follows controversy within the legal profession over the NBA’s enforcement of mandatory CPD rules introduced in 2025. The NBA had argued that lawyers who failed to meet the requirements risked losing access to practising certificates, stamps, and seals.
