SAN Applicants to Pay ₦5m, Government Lawyers Get Lower Fee, Here’s Why
Lawyers seeking the prestigious rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) will pay a non-refundable application fee of ₦5 million if they are in private practice, while those employed by the government will pay ₦2.5 million for the 2027 selection exercise.
The Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC) announced the fees in its call for applications for the 2027 conferment of the rank.
The announcement means private legal practitioners will pay twice the amount required of government-employed lawyers. However, the committee’s notice does not explain why the two categories have different fees.
According to the notice, the application portal will open at midnight on November 1, 2026. Applicants must complete their online submissions by midnight on January 31, 2027.
The fees are non-refundable, meaning unsuccessful applicants will not recover their money.
Why the SAN rank matters
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria rank is one of the highest professional distinctions in the Nigerian legal profession. It recognises lawyers who have distinguished themselves through advocacy or academic contributions to the development of law.
The rank is conferred through the LPPC, which assesses applicants against established requirements.
For lawyers in private practice, securing the title involves more than paying the application fee. Applicants must demonstrate that they meet the committee’s professional and other eligibility requirements.
The selection process also covers academics who have made significant contributions to legal scholarship.
Why government lawyers pay less
Under the new application notice, lawyers in private practice must pay ₦5 million, compared with ₦2.5 million for those employed in government service.
The difference is ₦2.5 million, making the fee for private practitioners twice that of their government-employed counterparts.
However, the LPPC has not provided a specific explanation for the difference in the published notice. It would therefore be premature to attribute the fee structure to differences in applicants’ earnings, professional responsibilities or the cost of processing their applications.
Both categories must still comply with the committee’s application procedures and submit the required supporting documents.
What applicants must submit
The LPPC requires applicants to upload clear and legible copies of all mandatory documents and supporting materials through its online portal.
Candidates must first pay the prescribed fee into one of the committee’s designated bank accounts. They must then upload evidence of payment for verification.
After the secretariat confirms the payment, applicants can proceed with the application process.
The committee has also directed every applicant to submit five flash drives containing the completed application form and copies of the documents uploaded to the portal.
Applicants seeking the rank through the academic category have an additional requirement. They must submit seven physical photocopies each of their curriculum vitae and impact statement, alongside the required flash drives.
The committee warned that applications that fail to meet its requirements or arrive after the deadlines will be rejected and treated as non-submissions.
When does the application close?
The online application window closes at midnight on January 31, 2027.
However, submitting the online form is not the final step. The required flash drives must reach the LPPC Secretariat before 4pm on February 1, 2027.
The committee advised applicants to comply with its submission procedures and deadlines.
The 2027 exercise follows the conferment of the rank on 68 legal practitioners on October 12, 2026, when the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, swore in 67 advocates and one academic, Professor Nnamdi Onyeka Obiaraeri, as Senior Advocates of Nigeria.