Brief Overview of the Nigerian Law School Curriculum

The Nigerian Law School is a form of graduate school for lawyers in Nigeria. No law graduate is considered to have finished with legal studies until he/she registers at any of the Nigerian Law Schools and graduate from there.

The Nigerian Law School is set up by the federal government of Nigeria in 1962 and the purpose was to train Nigerian law graduates and foreign lawyers on Nigerian law practice. The institution had been providing practical training for all the aspiring legal practitioners in Nigeria.

Before the Nigerian Law School was established, aspiring legal practitioners in Nigeria had to travel to England to receive legal practical training and they were all called to the English Bar.

Only students that graduate from recognized law faculties in Nigeria universities are given admission into the Nigerian Law School. The Director-General of the Nigerian Law School is Dr. O. A. Onadeko.

There is a generally observed dress code in the Nigeria law school and all students are required to adapt by this rule.


List of Nigerian Law School Campuses

Nigerian Law School has 6 different campuses and they are located in different parts of Nigeria;

1. Bwari in Abuja: This campus became the headquarters of the Nigerian law school in 1997.
2. Yola in Adamawa State
3. Yenagoa in Bayelsa State
4. Bagauda in Kano state
5. Agbani in Enugu state
6. Victoria Island in Lagos State

List of Nigerian Law School Courses

The various law school campuses in Nigerian as listed above offer the same set of course, since they all follow the same syllabus. The various course being offered are highlighted below:

CRIMINAL LITIGATION
They are divided into the following aspects:

1. Introduction
2. Arrests & Searches
3. Pre-trial Investigations & Police Interviews
4. Institution of Criminal Proceedings
5. Presence of the accused
6. complaint and witnesses
7. Bail
8. Charges
9. Constitutional Safeguards to ensure fair trial
10. duties of counsel and the court
11. Trials and presentation of evidence and advocacy
12. Concluding Addresses
13. Judgment and Sentence
14. Appeals
15. Knowledge

CIVIL LITIGATION

The courses involved under this class are grouped into the following:

1. Introduction
2. Preliminary matters before commencing civil action
3. Courts with civil jurisdiction
4. Interlocutory of Applications
5. Third Party Proceedings
6. Inter pleader Proceedings
7. Injunctions
8. Mareva Injunction
9. Anton Piller Injunction
10. Pre-trial Issues
11. Evidences
12. Preparing for trial
13. The course of trial
14. Trial Advocacy
15. Judgment
16. Enforcement
17. Appeals
18. Election Petition
19. Matrimonial
20. Sharia

PROPERTY LAW PRACTICE

1. Laws to property transactions
2. Essentials of power of attorney
3. Essentials of a Deed
4. Registration of titles
5. Assent Outcomes
6. Rent in Leases
7. Transfer of Lease
8. Mortgage
9. Sale
10. Contracts
11. Titles
12. Conveyance
13. Billing
14. Wills- Taking
15. Instructions and drafting of wills
16. Letters of Administration
17. Administration
18. Winding up of Estates.

CORPORATE LAW PRACTICE

The courses are divided into the following aspects:

1. Choice of Business and Non-Business Organization & Formations
2. Foreign Participation
3. Promotion of Companies
4. Pre-Incorporation Contracts
5. Matters before commencement of Business Alteration of Memo & Articles of Companies
6. Incorporated Trustees
7. Registration of Companies
8. Corporate Governance & Administration
9. Securities
10. Restructuring
11. Winding Up
12. Dissolution
13. Proceedings

LAW IN PRACTICE (ETHICS & SKILLS)

The courses are grouped into the following aspects:

1. History of the Legal Profession & Regulation
2. Relationship with and Duty of Council to colleagues
3. Appointment and Discipline of Judicial Officers
4. Qualification
5. Discipline & Procedure of Removal
6. Contempt of Court
7. Rights of Legal Practitioners
8. Duty of Counsel
9. Controlling Bodies in the Legal Profession
10. Instigation Litigation
11. Soliciting
12. Dinner Etiquette
13. Advertising
14. Attracting Business.

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