Senior Advocate of Nigeria
legal practitioner title in Nigeria
Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) is a honorific title that is conferred on legal practitioners in Nigeria of not less than ten years' standing and who have distinguished themselves in the legal profession. It is the equivalent of the rank of King's Counsel in the United Kingdom, as well as in South Australia, the Northern Territory, and Canada (except Quebec). Several countries use similar designations such as Senior Counsel, President's Counsel, State Counsel, Senior Advocate, and President's Advocate. A senior advocate of Nigeria is said to have been admitted to the "Inner Bar", as distinguished from the "Outer", or "Utter", Bar, consisting of junior advocates (See Call to the bar).
The conferment is made in accordance with the Legal Practitioners Act 207 Section 5 (1) by the Legal Practitioners' Privileges Committee, headed by the chief justice (as chairman), and consist of the attorney general, one justice of the Supreme Court (chosen by the chief justice and the attorney general for a term of two years, renewable on one occasion only), the president of the Court of Appeal, five of the chief judges of the states (chosen by the chief justice and the attorney general for a term of two years, renewable on one occasion only), the chief judge of the Federal High Court, and five legal practitioners who are senior advocates of Nigeria (chosen by the chief justice and the attorney general for a term of two years, renewable on one occasion only).
The title was first conferred on 3 April 1975. The recipients were Chief F.R.A. Williams and Dr Nabo Graham-Douglas. As of 7 July, 2011 344 lawyers had become Senior Advocates of Nigeria. Chief (Mrs.) Folake Solanke is the first female recipient of the rank of SAN, which was awarded to her in 1981.
A notable mention is Chief Henry Theodore Okeade Coker (H.T.O. Coker) who was conferred as a SAN in 1982 with serial number 32.
“Senior Advocate of Nigeria” enters the record as legal practitioner title in Nigeria. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Senior, Advocate and Nigeria can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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