From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
The Federal Government has reiterated its resolve to fufil its mandate of improving the administration of justice and enhance the legal profession.
Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, disclosed this on Monday while inuagurating the legal practitioners renumeration Committee and General Council of the Bar.
The Legal Practitioners Act established the Legal Practitioners Remuneration Committee to amongst other things, regulate and standardise the remuneration of legal practitioners in Nigeria. By virtue of Section 15 of the Legal Practitioners Act.
The Committee is made up of the Attorneys-General of the Federation and the 36 States, NBA President and three other members of NBA.
 It is pursuant to the above statutory provisions, that the Committee enacted the Legal Practitioners (Remuneration for Legal Documentation and Other Land Matters) Order in 1991, which created three classes of scales that can be used in charging, depending on the nature of legal services rendered.
The primary objective of the Committee is to devise feasible ways to improve the poor remuneration of legal practitioners, and design workable and enforceable framework under which lawyers will among others, charge the right fees for their legal service using acceptable and realistic metrics.
Malami pledged federal government commitment in  providing necessary support to the Nigerian Bar Association and ensuring that our dear Association well positioned to address the legal needs of legal practitioners and Nigerians as a whole.
The minister observed that “over the years finding a reasonable remuneration for legal services has been an issue of great controversy for legal professionals. It has, and is still eliciting heated intellectual and non-intellectual debates by various countervailing interests. Despite the existence of a scale of charges for legal services in Nigeria, there have been repeated debates for, and against its existence.
“Some have argued that a lawyer’s fees cannot, and should not be pigeonholed to a scale of charges due to the unique nature of the legal profession, while others who canvass for its continued existence say it has created order and certainty in the expected remuneration for legal services.
 ” It is in view of current national and economic realities, it is clear that the scale of charges hitherto established are long overdue for review. A situation where legal practitioners are paid pittance for the legal services they render must be thoroughly looked into and necessary steps taken to not only safeguard the livelihood of lawyers, but ensure that legal practitioners are treated with the dignity and prestige they deserve.
“The Committee therefore has the responsibility to critically review the scale of charges, taking into consideration prevailing challenges and experiences by legal practitioners as well as the nation’s current economic realities.
He admonished the committee led by the Attorney General of Lagos State, Moyosore Onigbanjo, to be fair and to discharge its statutory responsibilities without fear or favour.
“Particular consideration should be given to the new wigs and young lawyers, as a way to encourage their dedication and commitment to justice delivery”, Malami added.