Attraction of Business and the Omission of Pro Bono Requirements from the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners in Nigeria: A Discussion

Abstract

This article muses on the subject of ‘attraction of business’ and ‘pro bono requirements’ within and outside the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners (RPC 2007 and the draft RPC 2012) in Nigeria. With increasing complexities in the practice of law and changing technology, these two areas under consideration, which affect the practice of law in our country, appear to present daunting ethical challenges that threaten to swamp the best-intentioned guidelines. This article reveals that although there is regulation of advertisement in the legal profession, the emergence of the internet might have presented new dimensions and challenges. It further posits that the provisions on pro bono services in the Draft RPC 2012 does express a preference for providing legal representation to those who cannot afford to pay, but there is no mandatory language or enforcement mechanism behind that expression.