Twenty people passed with the first class out of a total of 4,350 successful applicants who took the Nigeria Law School March 2021 Bar Final Examination.
Nigeria Law School Director General Professor Isa Ciroma revealed this during the presentation of the shortlisted candidates for the July 2021 Nigerian Bar Appeal to the Council of Advisors on Wednesday in Abuja.
Ciroma said a total of 5,770 candidates sat for the March 2021 final bar exam.
“The total number of candidates who took part in the exam was 5,770 and out of the number 4,350 candidates were selected including 20 in first class,” he said.
He said the numbers represented 75 percent of passing the final exam.
Ciroma assured that the institution will continue to remain the guardian of the legal profession, adding “as teachers and administrators, we will continue to maintain the standard and integrity of the Bar”.
The summary of the results showed that 432 candidates were classified as upper second class, 2,174 were classified as lower second class while another 1,724 passed.
NAN recalled that the school had, on Tuesday, graduated and admitted to the Nigerian bar, 884 candidates from its class of December 2020 in addition to four others from the previous class.
In his remarks, Judge Olabode Rhodes-Vivour, chairman of the Body of Counselors, said graduates should adhere to the available rules guiding the profession at all times.
“I urge you to conduct yourself in the most responsible manner expected of you as persons of noble profession.
“As a lawyer, you are an officer of justice and, therefore, you must not do any act or conduct in a manner which would hinder or adversely affect the course of justice.
“The exercise of law is not a right but a privilege.
“It is a privilege that can be lost if you do not meet the required professional standards imposed on you by entering the community of lawyers,” he said.
He warned that the disciplinary committee of the body of lawyers was still determined to discipline any lawyer found to be in default or in breach of established rules of the profession.
Rhodes-Vivour hinted that his committee had from January to July struck off six lawyers, suspended some following non-compliance with established rules
“Be of good conduct in the course of your operations and respect the ethics and values of the profession, to avoid being brought before the committee,” he advised.
Rhodes-Vivour also encouraged graduates to continue reading and updating their knowledge of laws and jurisprudence in order to grow in the profession. (NAN)
