LEGAL PRACTITIONERS BILL 2025: KEY PROVISIONS AFFECTING YOUNG LAWYERS
The Nigerian Bar Association Has Proposed A Two Mandatory Pupilage With Structured Welfare Guarantees For Fresh Lawyers
Transition into legal practice has, for many young lawyers, been largely informal, often unregulated, underpaid, and without clear protections.
The Legal Practitioners Bill, 2025 introduces a mandatory two-year pupilage programme, but significantly, it does not stop at making pupilage compulsory. It embeds structured welfare safeguards into the system.
Under the Bill, the Body of Benchers is mandated to develop rules governing:
• Allowances and remuneration of pupils
• Fair selection and humane treatment
• Duties and responsibilities of pupil supervisors
• Support systems and complaint procedures for pupils
This represents a major shift from loosely structured apprenticeship to a regulated, welfare-conscious transition into practice.
Pupilage is no longer left to discretion or goodwill. It becomes a defined, supervised, and protected phase of professional development. This reform reflects sustained advocacy to ensure that learning under supervision does not translate into exploitation, and that mentorship comes with responsibility and accountability.
Professional excellence must begin with protected training.