A Time to Value the Wig: Aare Akinboro SAN Charts a New Path at NBA Oron Law Week

In a time when the legal profession in Nigeria is wrestling with economic pressures and internal questions of value, dignity, and sustainability, Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN, delivered a keynote at the NBA Oron Branch Law Week that will long echo through the ranks of the Bar. 

His message was clear, urgent, and unflinching: a profession that does not value its own services cannot expect society to do otherwise.

The theme of the gathering was a timely one, the implementation of the Legal Practitioners Remuneration Order, 2023 and Akinboro took it head-on. Speaking to a hall of lawyers eager for direction in uncertain times, he challenged the prevailing culture of underpricing, silent suffering, and the romanticization of struggle in legal practice. “Is law practice a business?” he asked, pausing just long enough to make the room lean in. “It is both. It is a noble calling with commercial realities.”

For decades, lawyers have operated under the limited protections of the 1991 Remuneration Order, an outdated framework that failed to reflect the complexities and breadth of modern legal work. 

The 2023 Remuneration Order, which came into force on May 16, 2023, represents a bold leap forward. It repeals the old regime and introduces an expansive, enforceable structure designed not just to guide billing, but to preserve the integrity of the profession. But like every reform, its success depends on one thing: implementation.

Aare Akinboro laid out a critical road map to aid implementation. 

1. Every lawyer, he said, must obtain a copy of the Remuneration Order and study it with the seriousness it deserves. The Order introduces five specific billing scales and a sixth catch-all scale for services not expressly covered. 

2.Lawyers must understand that fees under these scales are exclusive of expenses. When charging under the flexible sixth scale, it must be formally communicated to the client in writing. And within 14 days of being instructed, a lawyer is required to issue written terms of engagement, clearly stating the scope of work and agreed fees. These are not suggestions, they are mandatory rules of professional conduct.

Perhaps the most striking of this address was Akinboro’s emphasis on the non-negotiable nature of the fees. What is set out in the Order are minimum standards. Any lawyer wishing to charge less must apply for approval to the Remuneration Committee, following a laid-down procedure. Deviating from this, he warned, is not just unethical, it is punishable. Lawyers are also duty-bound to report colleagues who violate the Order. The Remuneration Committee will investigate, and if necessary, refer the matter to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee.

Still, the new Order accommodates humanity. Pro bono work remains lawful under the Legal Aid Act, 2021. Lawyers may also offer gratuitous services to close relations, provided they submit an affidavit within seven days, disclosing the relationship and justifying the free service. Even geography is accounted for, lawyers must familiarize themselves with their State Band classification, which reflects economic variations across Nigeria.

Ultimately, Akinboro’s charge was not about money, it was about structure, respect, and survival. The 2023 Remuneration Order, he declared, is our profession’s moment to reset. To reject exploitation. To protect young wigs from being crushed under a system that punishes diligence with poverty. To build a Bar where dignity is standard and excellence is rewarded.

“This is not the time to fold our arms and hope clients understand our worth,” he said. “It is the time to demand it, lawfully, professionally, and collectively.”

With those words, he reminded us all: that law may be a calling, but it must also be a livelihood. To protect the nobility of our practice, we must no longer treat our value as negotiable.

In Oron, the message was clear. The future of the Bar depends on lawyers who know their worth, respect the rules, and are willing to uphold both. A new standard has been set.