Back: Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President, Augustine Alegeth SAN, LSSA Co-chairperson, Jan van Rensburg and Olawale Fapohunda from the NBA. Seated: LSSA Manco member, Mimie Memka, LSSA Co-chairperson, Mvuso Notyesi, and Ifueko Alufohai, Executive Director of the NBA, at a meeting between the NBA and LSSA in June.

Compiled by Barbara Whittle

Law Society of South Africa (LSSA) Co-chairpersons Mvuso Notyesi and Jan van Rensburg signed a statement of intent with Nigerian Bar Association President Augustine Alegeth SAN at a meeting at OR Tambo International Airport on 9 June.

A delegation from the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) was on a trade mission visit to Johannesburg and Pretoria, and the meeting between the LSSA’s Management Committee (Manco) and some members of the NBA Executive was scheduled as a preliminary discussion with a view to setting up a memorandum of understanding between the two organisations.

The LSSA and NBA reiterated their commitment to the rule of law and independence of the profession, as well as their commitment to promoting high standards of practice, ethical conduct and the interest of the public.

The two associations exchanged information on developments in their respective jurisdictions and committed to exploring constructive engagement provided, the terms of which would be communicated to each other by 31 August this year.

There was general agreement that there should be synergies among lawyers in South Africa and Nigeria, being two of the three major economies – together with Egypt – in Africa. A Nigerian-South African Lawyers Forum could be established to assist particularly smaller law firms, which have clients trading in Nigeria.

The NBA has some 130 000 lawyers on its database of which some 60 000 are practising lawyers not in government service.

Compiled by Barbara Whittle, communication manager, Law Society of South Africa, barbara@lssa.org.za

This article was first published in De Rebus in 2016 (July) DR 18.