Why Supreme Court says ‘Barrister’ prefix is unprofessional

The Supreme Court has directed legal practitioners, court registrars, litigation staff and other lawyers to stop using the title “Barrister” as a prefix to their names in official correspondence and engagements with the apex court.

The directive was contained in an internal memorandum dated July 13, 2026, issued by the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court, Kabir E. Akanbi, on the instruction of the Chief Justice of Nigeria.

Titled “Prohibition of the Use of the Title ‘Barrister’ as a Prefix to Names,” the memorandum was addressed to litigation staff, legal practitioners, court registrars and lawyers.

According to the circular, the continued use of “Barrister” before names is considered inappropriate and inconsistent with the level of professionalism expected within the Supreme Court.

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The memorandum stated that the Chief Justice of Nigeria had directed that all concerned should discontinue the use of the title in their official dealings with the apex court.

The Supreme Court consequently ordered that “Barrister” should no longer appear before names in official correspondence, court records, documents, identity materials or other official engagements with the court.

The circular directed all officers concerned to comply with the directive with immediate effect.

It also placed responsibility on heads of departments and unit heads to ensure strict compliance by officers under their supervision.

The directive, however, is limited to official interactions with the Supreme Court.

It does not prevent lawyers from identifying themselves as barristers in academic, professional or general contexts outside official communications and engagements with the apex court.

The development therefore represents an administrative directive governing how legal practitioners and relevant court personnel are formally addressed within the Supreme Court, rather than a general prohibition on the professional description “Barrister.”