A legal practitioner, Mr. Carl Umegboro, has expressed his concern over the high conference fee earmarked for the newest lawyers for the forthcoming 2024-Annual Conference of the Nigeria Bar Association, slated to hold in Lagos from August 23rd to August 28th, 2024.
To register for the conference, the NBA has fixed the sum of N50,000 as an ‘early bird’ offer for 9 years post-call down to the new wigs that were called to Bar on March 5th, 6th, and 7th, 2024, and N75,000 after the ‘early bird’ offer. Lawyers aged 10 and older pay higher fees, as do those conferred with the rank of senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), who pay the highest fees.
There have been intense grumblings in diverse quarters over the high fees for the 2024 NBA-AGC, particularly allotting the same amount to 9 years post-call and newly called bar lawyers of merely 3 months.
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Reacting to the development, Umegboro, a civil rights lawyer and public affairs analyst, said the new wigs, being the newest members of the lawyers’ association, deserve an incentive offer to enable them to attend the first annual conference after their call-to-bar alongside registration in the NBA, arguing that one of the significant segments of the annual event is to formally welcome the newest members into the fold. Unfortunately, the exorbitant registration fee may not be in attendance.
Barrister Umegboro emphasised that demanding the same fee for 9-year-old post-call lawyers in practice with a good income and the new wigs that are just 3-months post-call, with most of them still hunting for jobs or law firms for pupillage attachment while some are doing their NYSC mandatory service, is to be modest, insensitive, inconsiderate, and anti-fraternity.
Umegboro said that depriving the new wigs the opportunity to attend the first annual conference after their call-to-bar and registration in the NBA as members with such a high conference fee is unfair and should be revisited in the spirit of fairness to enable them to participate in the association activities as a way of giving them a sense of belonging. He suggested that the new wigs should be given an incentive offer of between N10,000 and N20,000, adding that an annual conference of the association is vital and also an avenue to further mould the new wigs into lawyers of value, substance, and good ethics. When asked about those that may have possibly paid already, the activist said the association can do a refund of the excess if reviewed to remedy the oversight.
He added that such an oversight is dangerous and shouldn’t be allowed to characterise the noble body, which the entire society looks up to as a pacesetter.
“As we speak, candidates for various positions are taking their campaigns seeking votes for the new wigs but not bothering about their attendance at the conference, arguing that if their presence doesn’t matter to them, their votes shouldn’t also matter. One expected that the NBA should mount pressure on new members to attend the first annual conference after their call to action.
“An oversight as weighty as this can send the wrong signal to the new lawyers. I emphatically submit that there’s no justification to demand the same amount for registration for new entrants to the NBA with lawyers of 9 years standing. For emphasis, the new wigs left the law school in November 2023 and were called to the bar in March 2024, with most of them yet to get a place of attachment. Still, they are paired to pay the same registration fee with lawyers for 9 years post-call.
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“Most of the new wigs are either hunting for a law firm for pupillage attachment or undergoing their NYSC programme but grouped to pay the same amount with lawyers of 9 years post-call that have clients and are on retainership? This is non-sequitur and shouldn’t characterise the noble body society looks up to for directions.
“If the feelings and emotions of these new wigs don’t matter, why then count on their votes for the elections of the officers of the association? I am sure that if the elections were on-site, their attendance at the annual conference would have been seriously considered and even made free. The NBA cannot afford to technically encourage new lawyers to be inactive and missing in action except to pay practicing fees.
“By this approach to commercialising the conference, the new wigs are encouraged from day one to not take the association seriously. Ideally, new wigs’ attendance should be of concern every year; otherwise, it may amount to laying the wrong foundation for them.
“The conference registration fee for new wigs ought not to be more than N10,000, or at most, double of it since lawyers of 9 years of post-call standing pay a minimum of N50,000. It will be just and fair to revisit. the fees and grant the new wigs a special registration incentive offer to enable them to attend the conference. In an ideal world, the annual general conference of a year should be for celebrating the new members. So, it should be their event. Let them begin their lawyering life in good spirits rather than with grudges and a feeling of isolation,” Umegboro advised.
Carl Umegboro, Barrister and Solicitor, ACIArb, is also a social policy analyst, and writes from Abuja.
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