Chief Folake Solanke, SAN has decried the treatment of young lawyers by some of their employer- law firms and declared that “Lawyers are not slaves!” She stated this in her chairman’s opening remarks at the milestone celebrations of Dele Adesina, SAN on 22nd February 2018 at the Muson Centre Lagos. According to her she received reports from young lawyers in Ibadan and at the 2017 NBA conference in Lagos complaining that they were not being paid for their work while undergoing pupilage.
In her remarks Mrs. Solanke stated that “this is wrong for lawyers traditionally are not expected to render service without remuneration; … lawyers are paid by their clients so lawyers in pupilage should be paid. New lawyers incur expenses during pupilage to wit: for rent, food, transportation, books, apparel, etc. In defence of lawyers in pupilage I declare that lawyers are not slaves. Only slaves work for no pay or very poor pay… A lawyer is certainly not the property of a learned senior or any other person. When I was in pupilage I was paid… Thus, I employ all senior members who utilize the services of lawyers in pupilage to pay them adequately. Lawyers are not like the African illegal immigrants who are currently being sold into slavery in Libya in this 21st Century.”
From her statements Chief Solanke was referring to pupilage in a general meaning of employment of fresh lawyers in the Country.
It would be recalled that in press statements and presentations in the past I had argued that the profession must prescribe and enforce minimum wage for lawyers and that “pupilage without minimum salary is sure slavery for young lawyers”. The proposed Legal Profession Regulation Act prescribed two years mandatory pupilage but does not prescribe imposition of mandatory minimum wage. In England under the pupilage programme there is a prescribed mandatory minimum wage of 1000 British Pounds.
