How much are lawyers paid in Nigeria? The legal profession is one of the most respected in Nigeria. In the university, law students are given the highest respect by other students because of their good command of words and ability to understand things the way others don’t. Recently, i discovered that many people are making caricature of the profession because of the speculations that many lawyer earn as low as N15,000 monthly. Well, that is not wholesomely true.

In this short write up, we will be discussing about the salary of lawyers in Nigeria. Thus, if you have been asking the question, “How much are lawyers paid in Nigeria?” or “How much does lawyers earn monthly”, you are in the right place. This article is going to explain the salary structure of lawyers in Nigeria with facts and examples.

But before we move into that, i would like you to know some factors that determine the salary of a lawyer.

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Factors that Determine the Salary of a Lawyer

1. Experience of the lawyer: Unfortunately, experience is one of the factors that determine the salary of a lawyer. The legal profession is highly based on experience. Every lawyer is qualified based on his/her experience in certain field of law. So a lawyer who has more experience will likely earn more.

2. Size of law firm or company: The size of the law firm or company where the lawyer works also determine the amount of salary he/she will receive. A lawyer who works in companies or top law firms like Banwo, Aluko and Oyebode, Ikeyi etc, will like earn more than a lawyer who works in a law firm that is not known.

3. Ability to work: Another factor is the lawyer’s ability and determination to work. Any lawyer who really wants to make money will do so if he knows what he is doing. This is so because, the legal profession of Nigeria does not restrict any lawyer from doing many jobs which are still related to law.

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How Much Are Lawyers Paid in Nigeria?

In general, the average salary of a lawyer in Nigeria who works for a law firm or a company is N50,000 monthly. However, it is imperative to know that the actual salary of a lawyer in Nigeria is limitless. A Nigerian lawyer can earn as must as N1,000,000 by just signing a contract or representing a company in a court case.

More so, it is not false that some lawyers earn as low as N15,000 per month, but those are the type of lawyers that don’t really want to make money out of the legal profession. Trust me, a lawyer can wake up in the morning, go to court an come back with a reasonable amount of money. This is not even joined with the amount he is paid in the law firm where he works.

In a recap the answer is that, the salary of a lawyer in Nigeria is limitless. It is the hand of every lawyer to determ the amount he/she is to be earn monthly.

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Salary Structure of Lawyers that Work in Law Firms

There are basically four levels of lawyers in every law firm namely: Interns, Junior Associates, Senior Associates and Partners. As we continue, i will give you a rundown of their average salary:

Interns: Interns are those lawyers who are not yet employed into the law firm. They usually work for some months then leave the firm. Interns can be assigned to law firms after graduating or sometimes, law firms just recruit them to work. Here, lawyers work for free or paid. Only few law firms pay their intents in Nigeria. The amount ranges from N5,000 – N30,000 monthly. Banwo & Ighodalo, Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie, Abdulai, Taiwo & Co pays their interns around N30,000 monthly.

Junior Associates: These are the type of lawyers that are newly employed into the law firm. They are called junior associates because they haven’t really stood their grounds in the Firm. Payment of lawyers in this level ranges from N15,000 – N100,000 monthly, depending on the size of the firm. In places like, Banwo, Aluko and Oyebode etc, Junior Associates are paid around N100,000 monthly.

Senior Associates: These are lawyers that work fully for the firm. I mean, their employment is guaranteed to a large extent. To become a senior associate in a law firm, you must have been working for at least, 3 – 5 years. Their salary ranges from N50,000 to N300,000 monthly depending on the size of the firm. In popular law firms like, Banwo & Ighodalo, Olaniwun Ajayi LP, Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie etc, their lawyers are given other allowances like Medical care, Recharge Card and other bills together with their salary.

Partners: These are the big bosses in the law firm. Like i said at the inception of this article, law is largely based on experience. The more experienced you are, the more money you will get. Partners are usually those who opened the law firm and have practiced for at least, 3 – 5 years. The salary of a partner in a law firm is immeasurable because it depends on the income of the firm. On average, a partner earns around N100,000 monthly (for small law firms) and N1,000,000 monthly (for big law firms).

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Salary Structure of a Lawyer that Works for Companies

Before a company will start looking for their personal lawyers in Nigeria, that company must be stable and standard company. Take for instance, companies like Oado Oil, Dangote, Chevron etc have their personal lawyers handling their legal matters.

The salary of this type of lawyers ranges from N200,000 to 1,000,000 monthly. This has been corroborated by a friend of mine who works for the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

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Is the Legal Profession lucrative in Nigeria?

When compared with the salary of Lawyers in other countries, it is apparent that lawyers are actually paid low in Nigeria. Nevertheless, Law is still a good choice when compared with other professions in the country. So Yes, law is lucrative in Nigeria.

Another important point you should know is that; lawyers are not limited to just one source of income. So, a lawyer can be working for more than one company at a time. In addition to that, that lawyer can decide to take up matters in court and still get paid for that as well. This is why most lawyers see law as a business and not just a profession. Your hardwork is what determine your salary on the long run. Interestingly, there are various fields and ways a lawyer can make money just from his profession.

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Is There Hope For Young Lawyers In Nigeria

With the recent trend in the legal profession in Nigeria, I can comfortably say that there is a hope for young Nigerian lawyers. In 2023, Templars law firm published a memo about increasing the salary of its lawyers to over N700,000 plus other allowances at entry level. This brought a huge change in the legal market because more skilled lawyers wanted to get more employed in the firm and other law firms started to look into increasing the salary of their lawyers too.

So yes, I strongly believe that things will change over time and lawyers will begin to get what they really deserve in Nigeria. For the main time, it seems, corporate lawyers, entertainment lawyers and election petition lawyers are the ones hitting it big in the industry.

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Interesting Facts About Lawyers In Nigeria

Here are the top facts:

1. Education and Training: Nigerian attorneys undergo a complicated educational path that is defined by a deep absorption into the intricacies of legal theory and practise. Aspiring solicitors begin by studying for a law degree from an accredited university and then learning about the fundamental ideas that support the legal system. Despite its importance, this academic period is only the first.

The next part takes place in the prestigious Nigerian Law School, where theory meets real-world practise. Here, aspiring solicitors receive intensive instruction that mimics the difficulties and complexities of actual legal situations. Entrance into the exclusive ranks of legal practitioners is through the difficult bar examinations, which are the pinnacle of the Nigerian law school experience. This emphasis on both academic achievement and practical savvy guarantees that attorneys graduate with the abilities necessary to meet the ever-changing needs of the legal profession in addition to a solid foundation in legal doctrine.

2. Regulation by NBA: The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) is essential to the integrity and unity of the Nigerian legal profession. The NBA takes on a crucial role as the defender of moral principles and the arbitrator of professional behaviour, going beyond just a simple professional guild. Being a member of the NBA means committing to sustaining the values that make the legal profession noble, rather than just being a passive formality.

The association fosters an atmosphere where ethical concerns are not only promoted but enforced by virtue of its regulatory powers, which engender a feeling of accountability among attorneys. By ensuring that Nigerian attorneys follow a strict code of ethics, this proactive regulatory function helps to foster public confidence and increases the legitimacy of the legal system for both clients and the wider public.

3. Legal System: Nigeria’s legal system is a patchwork made of elements from both customary and English common law. This distinctive blend reflects the historical development and cultural diversity of the nation. Nigerian attorneys must negotiate a legal dichotomy where English common law precedents mix with the diverse range of customary law’s ingrained traditional practises.

This calls for a deep comprehension of legal doctrine in addition to a sophisticated awareness of the cultural settings that influence how laws are interpreted. Essentially, attorneys take on the role of cultural translators, responsible for both interpreting the law and establishing a connection between the deeply ingrained cultural norms that permeate everyday life and the universal legal principles.

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By way of conclusion i want to advise young law students who are still going through the process of becoming a lawyer in Nigeria not to give up. The legal profession is lucrative and it is a good profession for everyone. Try as much as possible to graduate with the best grade because most law firms consider it. After graduating, put in your best in your area of specialty.

I believe this article has disproved that fallacious speculations that lawyers earn very low in Nigeria. Law is a prestigious profession and it is still lucrative till today.

Edeh Samuel Chukwuemeka ACMC

Edeh Samuel Chukwuemeka, ACMC, is a lawyer and a certified mediator/conciliator in Nigeria. He is also a developer with knowledge in various programming languages. Samuel is determined to leverage his skills in technology, SEO, and legal practice to revolutionize the legal profession worldwide by creating web and mobile applications that simplify legal research. Sam is also passionate about educating and providing valuable information to people.