Legal profession and administration of justice

“As lawyers, competence and integrity matters, one without the other is a recipe for injustice” The society ascribes honour to the legal practitioner because everywhere one is found there is always reference to Justice, it is for this reason that the legal profession is essential in the administration and effective dispensation of justice. We as […]

“As lawyers, competence and integrity matters, one without the other is a recipe for injustice”

The society ascribes honour to the legal practitioner because everywhere one is found there is always reference to Justice, it is for this reason that the legal profession is essential in the administration and effective dispensation of justice.
We as lawyers can either play our part in fast-tracking justice in the Nigerian society or draw it back by doing nothing; we can either show the society our importance in fighting the scourge of ‘corruption’ or fold our arms and give it continued dominance; we can either help our courts of justice attain their pride of place as the last hope of the common man or let the society continue to treat the courts with disdain, a learned silk at the just concluded NBA Kaduna Branch rightly said:“There is a reason why we are called legal profession, not law profession.”
So how then can the legal profession aid in the administration of justice? In my humble opinion, we can achieve this feat by maintaining ethical standards in our everyday dealings and interaction with the society, upholding the rule of law and turning our backs to illegality of any form; when acting as an advocate, a lawyer must represent the client resolutely and honourably within the limits of the law.
“No doubt, the ethics of the legal profession is decidedly the pursuit of justice and ultimately serves the common good. In this pursuit,there are certain fundamental concerns that should be taken into consideration such as, ethics in the prosecution of criminal and civil claims, legal work in non-contentious matters, the adjudication of disputes and the general utilisation of legal training and skills.” – The Lawyer and his Ethics by Laura Karuri, The Lawyers Chronicle {The magazine for African Lawyer}.
The legal profession all over the world has gone digital, “…the administration of justice cannot be an exception and must embrace the technology that enabled institutions like banks to successfully rise up to the challenge of rendering the fast and accurate service that the electronic age disposition impels. EasyLaw… is therefore an essential tool in advocacy and adjudication.” Oluwarotimi O. Akeredolu {SAN}
On May 26, 2015 Mohammed Bello Adoke {SAN} the former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice presented to the public the new Administration of Criminal Justice Act {2015}. It is a 495 section law that repealed the Criminal Procedure Act and Criminal Procedure Code as applicable in all Federal Courts and Courts in the FCT but can be more effective if domesticated by every state like Lagos.
The act has some innovative provisions that can aid in the administration of justice and this includes amongst others, proper documentation of suspects, arrest protocols, electronic recording of confessional statement, central criminal records registry {with branches in every state police command}, electronic and manual database of everyone arrested, monthly reports by police to supervisory magistrate of all suspects arrested without warrant, trials are to be concluded within 180 days and first time offenders are not to be committed to prisons et al.
Some lawyers have expressed worry that we do not yet have the facility to ensure the smooth enforcement of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act and neither do the police. In my opinion, it is only when we try that we can truly determine its loophole and work towards improving same, and not to throw the baby and the bathwater out of the Nigerian Legal System.
I urge all state governments to domesticate this law as it will go a long way in decongesting our prisons and also enhance speedy dispensation of justice.
 Just recently, the Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs to the President, Mr Femi Adesina, told Channels TV that the presidency is ready to commence probe of ministers and other government officials who served under the president Jonathan’s administration. Domesticating the ACJ Act to be operational in states jurisdiction would assist the country in the fight against corruption and police brutality.
A young legal practitioner as minister in the temple of justice can play a role in studying the law and ensuring compliance where the Act is applicable.
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