THE Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has condemned unethical attitude of some lawyers in the country that allegedly mismanage their clients’ funds.
Speaking at a one-day seminar, titled ‘financial literacy for lawyers’ in Ilorin on Thursday, The Ilorin branch chairman of NBA, Mr Manzuma Isah, said that inability of such lawyers to repay the diverted fund had embarrassed the profession.
The NBA chairman, who said that some lawyers were not aware of some statutory provisions regulating the relationship between lawyers and their clients, added that the programme was organised to reposition NBA in line with challenges facing the profession and to increase the talent level in terms of financial and office management of legal practitioners.
“That is why we have invited a guru in financial matters to speak to the NBA on financial intrigues. This is also in line with the economic challenges of the country. Many lawyers find themselves wanting by diverting clients’ money hoping that very soon they would repay the funds, but once you are indebted it is not easy to pay. It is easy to swallow but very difficult to regurgitate.
“There are some statutory provisions regulating the relationship between lawyers and their clients, but there are some other regulating agencies now like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Financial Intelligent Agency which also regulate the relationship in terms of finance, between a lawyer and his clients.
For example recently Chief Mike Ozekhome whose account was frozen over his dealings with Governor Ayo Fayose and he insisted that that was his professional fee.
“The EFCC said under its act you must disclose any financial transaction that is above N10 million to the agency. Many lawyers are not aware of this provision of EFCC act.
“So we want our members to be in the know of financial dealings with their clients in line with economic challenges in the country. They must also know that the virtue of a profession is what fulfils its social purpose. For you to be a professional to the core you must abide with the ethics of the profession and a lawyer cannot be seen to comply with the ethics of the profession unless he knows the financial rules and regulations.
“Mind you lawyers are under public scrutiny now especially with the media as the watchdogs. So we want our members to be on their toes for them not to commit financial irregularities and embarrass the profession.”
Also speaking, University of Ilorin law teacher, Prof Wahab Egbewole said that the seminar was organised to attend to needs of lawyers as “it is generally acknowledged that lawyers have ‘phobia’ for figures. And to that extent, a number of financial challenges face lawyers in terms of the delivery of their profession; in terms of relating with clients, keeping clients’ money and discharging obligations to clients that have monetary implications.”
The former Ilorin NBA chair added that: “We felt there is need for lawyers to undergo a ‘refresher course,’ because as you may well know before any lawyer graduates from the law school must pass a course called solicitor’s account but after that graduation I am not sure many lawyers go back to it.
“So that is why we are refreshing our memory to save us from the kind of embarrassment some of our colleagues face in terms of not keeping proper account”, he said.
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