NLS and BOSCON back Blue Silk rank for transactional lawyers
Nigerian Law Society (NLS) and the Body of Senior Counsel (BOSCON) are promoting the ‘Blue Silk’ rank to recognise lawyers who have excelled in non‑courtroom, transactional and advisory work. To qualify, applicants must show at least 35 significant transactions completed over a ten‑year period, focusing on corporate, commercial and advisory practice. The groups say the title fills a long‑standing gap in recognising lawyers who build distinguished careers outside courtroom advocacy and stress it is not meant to rival the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) title.
The Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee (LPPC) rejects the Blue Silk designation, insisting that under the Legal Practitioners Act the SAN remains the only professionally recognised rank. LPPC warned in February that lawyers who use the Blue Silk title could face disciplinary action under the Rules of Professional Conduct. A recent Federal High Court suit challenging the LPPC’s stance was dismissed after the judge found the applicants failed to prove any breach of their fundamental rights.
Despite the court’s dismissal, NLS and BOSCON maintain that the Blue Silk initiative seeks to recognise transactional excellence without undermining the SAN framework. For lawyers considering the new title, the key question is whether to pursue the Blue Silk recognition—knowing it lacks statutory backing and may attract LPPC sanctions—or to continue pursuing the traditional SAN path.