The Supreme Court of Nigeria has directed all litigation staff, legal practitioners, and court registrars to immediately stop using the title “Barrister” as a prefix to their names in official correspondence, following a directive issued by Chief Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun in a memorandum dated July 13, 2026.
The administrative measure, signed by Supreme Court Chief Registrar Kabir Akanbi, applies broadly across the nation’s apex court and aims to enforce stricter standards of professional conduct in all official engagements. Under the new instructions, lawyers and court personnel must remove the title from every form of formal communication and documentation.
Scope and Enforcement of the Supreme Court Directive
The memorandum leaves little ambiguity regarding where the restriction applies. Affected personnel are barred from using the prefix in records, documents, identity materials, court correspondence, and any other official business involving the nation’s highest court according to the circular issued from Abuja. The Supreme Court of Nigeria has directed litigation staff, legal practitioners, court registrars and lawyers to discontinue the use of the title “Barrister” as a prefix to their names in all official engagements.
The directive is contained in a memorandum dated July 13, 2026, signed by the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court, Kabir Akanbi, and issued on the instruction of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun. According to the memorandum, the Chief Registrar said he was directed by the Chief Justice of Nigeria to notify all concerned that the use of “Barrister” as a prefix to names is considered inappropriate and inconsistent with the standards of professionalism expected within the Supreme Court. “I am directed by the Honourable the Chief Justice of Nigeria to notify all Litigation Staff, Legal Practitioners, Court Registrars, and Lawyers that the use of the title ‘Barrister’ as a prefix to names is inappropriate and inconsistent with the standards of professionalism expected within the Supreme Court of Nigeria,” the memorandum states.
“Consequently, all officers concerned are hereby directed to discontinue the use of the title ‘Barrister’ before their names in all official correspondence, records, documents, identity materials, and any other official engagements with immediate effect.”
Chief Registrar Kabir Akanbi, Supreme Court memorandum
The directive applies to all litigation staff, legal practitioners, court registrars and lawyers dealing with the Supreme Court. The Chief Justice ruled that the continued use of “Barrister” as a prefix does not align with the level of professionalism the Supreme Court seeks to uphold in its official processes. The directive, which takes immediate effect, was issued as part of efforts to strengthen professionalism and standardise official documentation at the nation’s apex court.
To ensure compliance, the Chief Registrar further directed Heads of Departments and unit heads to ensure strict compliance with the directive, instructing affected officers to discontinue the use of the title in correspondence, records, identity materials, and other official documents. Department heads and unit supervisors were tasked with enforcing strict compliance.
Professional Standards and Regulatory Context
The Supreme Court of Nigeria has directed all litigation staff, legal practitioners, court registrars and lawyers to discontinue the use of the title “Barrister” as a prefix to their names, describing the practice as inappropriate and inconsistent with the standards of professionalism expected within the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
The directive is comprehensive in its reach, and the order was conveyed in a memorandum dated July 13, 2026, and signed by the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court, Kabir E. Akanbi, Esq., on the instruction of the Chief Justice of Nigeria.
Reporting from Abuja, Ikechukwu Nnochiri noted that the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, has barred legal practitioners in the country from using the title “Barrister” as a prefix to their names in all official correspondence. The memo took immediate effect, stressing that the practice is inappropriate and inconsistent with the standards of professionalism expected within the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
The directive applies to litigation staff, legal practitioners, court registrars and other lawyers engaged in official business with the apex court.
