LPPC calls for 2027 SAN rank applications, sets fees, deadline

The Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC) have called for applications for the 2027 round of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) rank conferment.

The committee invited eligible applicants in a statement posted via the Supreme Court’s X handle on Wednesday.

The application portal will open at midnight on 1 November, the notice said.

It also set application fees at N5 million for lawyers in private practice and N2.5 million for those in government service.

It fixed 31 January 2027 as application deadline.

The rigorous selection process takes months and the successful candidates are usually announced in July.

The rank is conferred on successful applicants annually during the ceremony marking the commencement of the new legal year of the Nigerian Supreme Court, between September and October.

What applicants must do

According to LPPC’s notice for fresh applications, applicants must pay the non-refundable fee into designated accounts with Zenith Bank (1014103141) or Guaranty Trust Bank (0213662834).

The notice said applicants must upload proof of payment to the portal and wait for a confirmation email from the LPPC Secretariat before completing their applications.

The committee directed all applicants, including advocates and academics, to upload clear copies of the mandatory and supporting documents listed in its 2022 guidelines. Each applicant must also submit five flash drives containing the completed application form downloaded from the portal and copies of all documents uploaded online.

Academic applicants are additionally required to upload scanned copies of their published works and submit seven photocopies each of their curriculum vitae and impact statements. These must be delivered alongside the flash drives.

The deadline for online applications is midnight on 31 January 2027, while the flash drives must reach the LPPC Secretariat by 4 p.m. on 1 February.

“Any submission made after the deadlines stipulated in clause 2.7 above shall be treated as a non-submission,” the committee warned.

The exercise is being conducted under Section 5(2) of the Legal Practitioners Act and Paragraphs 10(1) to 10(4) of the committee’s 2022 guidelines for the conferment of the rank.

The notice was signed by the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and secretary of the LPPC, Kabir Akanbi.

The announcement comes weeks after Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Kudirat Kekere-Ekun swore in 68 new SANs at the Supreme Court in Abuja on 12 October, during a special session marking the start of the 2026/2027 legal year.

The recipients comprised 67 advocates and one academic, Nnamdi Obiaraeri, a professor.

The LPPC, chaired by the CJN and operates under the administrative structure of the Supreme Court, had approved their elevation at its 174th plenary session in Abuja in July.

The SAN rank

The SAN rank, conferred on qualified lawyera annually, is a prestigious mark of distinction reserved for lawyers who have been called to the Nigerian bar for at least 10 years and adjudged to have contributed remarkably to the development of the Nigerian law.

Equivalent to the King’s Counsel (KC) or Queen’s Counsel (QC) rank in the United Kingdom, the SAN title is highly coveted recognition which comes with privileges, including granting recipients the right of first audience and the distinction of wearing silk gowns.

It recognises excellence in the legal profession under two categories – advocacy and academics, each with general and peculiar criteria applicants must meet to be conferred the rank

The criteria are enumerated in the LPPC’s 2022 Guidelines for the Conferment of the Rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria and Other Related Matters.

Under the general requirements, the applicant is expected to have a minimum of 10 years post-call standing at the Nigerian Bar and demonstrate flawless moral character, good demeanor, and zero pending disciplinary matters.

Also financial compliance is mandatory, requiring consistent, timely payment of Bar Practicing Fees and local NBA dues, alongside valid tax clearance certificates for the preceding three years.

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Candidates must also maintain a well-equipped, modern law office featuring a standard legal library, digital infrastructure, full-time junior counsel, and support staff, while providing proof of pro bono service.

Category-specific requirements for advocates track include mandatory quota of certified, contested final judgements handled as lead counsel or key advocate across superior courts of record, in this case, trial High Courts, the Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court.

Applicants are also are subjected to confidential judicial references and physical chambers inspections.

For academic track, applicants must be academics who have distinguished themselves and have made significant contribution to legal scholarship and jurisprudence through teaching, research, published works and academic leadership.

Such applicant must also possess substantial portfolio of peer-reviewed books, scholarly journal articles, and teaching credentials.

Section 9 of the guidelines limits the number of those that can be appointed SAN under the academic category in a year to “not more than one”.