22nd November, 2017
Chief Folake Solanke (SAN) on Wednesday said she was appalled by the conduct of some lawyers in the courts.
Solanke, who is first female Senior Advocate of Nigeria, said this in her address at the 12th Annual Lecture of AELEX Law Firm, in Lagos.
She said that some lawyers lack the proper decorum for the legal profession and so, do not employ the correct use of the Legal language.
“I am appalled by the unethical conduct of some so-called lawyers who employ the use of unacceptable languages in the courtroom.
“Let it be known by all those lawyers who refer to judges as “you”, that the correct manner to address a judge is “my Lord, me Lord, your lordship or simply the court.
“Also, it must be known by lawyers who use words like: yeah, yah, or yo in court, that these are unprofessional languages which are incoherent with the ethics of the profession.
“I had read this speech at a dinner of Senior Advocates held recently in Lagos, and I think it is important I re-echo it here.
“Even in the Bible, Saint Paul in his letter to Timothy said Thus: “Till I come, give attention to reading”; this, therefore, shows that the place of learning in our everyday lives cannot be overemphasized.”
Solanke urged lawyers to imbibe the reading and learning culture, stressing that it is a pre-requisite to successful intellectual development.
According to her, reading nurtures the soul and expands the reader’s horizon.
She said it also sharpens the intellect, enhances knowledge, harnesses the vocabulary and facilitates social and communication skills.
“Every good lawyer will admit that the reading culture must be cultivated for life by lawyers both young and old; it is a lifelong addiction,” she said.
According to her, continuous legal education is a sine qua non for professional excellence, ” because in legal education we address ourselves as learned which means “knowing the law”.
The event was graced by a former Vice-Chancellor of The University of Lagos, Prof. Oyewusi Ibidapo-obe, lawyers, as well as teachers from various schools in Nigeria.