The Council of Legal Education has initiated the 2025/2026 Bar Part II program, unveiling a structured academic calendar that will guide thousands of aspiring Nigerian Bar members. This calendar is standardized across all seven Nigerian Law School campuses: Abuja (Headquarters), Lagos, Enugu, Kano, Yola, Yenagoa, and the Dr. Nabo Graham-Douglas Campus in Port Harcourt.
The Bar Part II program is the final step for law graduates before they become Barristers and Solicitors of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. Unlike the university LL.B program’s theoretical approach, the Law School curriculum is practical, intensive, and clinically focused. The 2025/2026 calendar emphasizes this “hands-on” philosophy, combining classroom teaching with practical experience through court and chamber externships. It’s a critical period where theoretical knowledge is transformed into practical legal skills, preparing students for the realities of legal practice in Nigeria.
First Term: Foundations of Vocational Training
The academic year begins on March 2, 2026. For the first two weeks, until March 13, students will register, complete physical clearance, and participate in an institutional induction. This phase introduces students to professional ethics and standards. Mock Trials will offer an early look at the Nigerian courtroom.
Lectures start on March 16, 2026, covering Civil Litigation, Criminal Litigation, Property Law Practice, Corporate Law Practice, and Professional Ethics and Skills. Classes will be interactive, using a ‘Lesson Plan’ approach that requires pre-class reading.
Key events in the first term include:
- Director-General’s Address (April 14, 2026): The DG will share expectations from the Council of Legal Education.
First Term Body of Benchers (BOB) Dinner (April 21-23, 2026): Mandatory dinners where students must attend three to fulfill Call to the Bar requirements. These dinners teach professional etiquette and offer a chance to interact with Life Benchers and Justices.
- Lectures End (May 14, 2026): The term ends with a Pre-Externship Workshop to prepare students for field assignments.
Second Term: The Clinical Externship Experience
The second term emphasizes practical application, marking the most crucial ‘learning by doing’ stage of the Bar Part II program. This term is split into two main parts: the Court Externship and the Chambers Externship.
1. Court Externship (May 18 – June 19, 2026): Students will be assigned to courts nationwide, including High Courts and Magistrate Courts, for five weeks. They will observe court proceedings, take detailed notes, and engage with judges to gain a practical understanding of evidence and procedure, building upon their first-term studies.
2. Chambers Externship (June 29 – July 31, 2026): After a short break, students will move to law firms. Under the guidance of experienced Principals, they’ll learn legal drafting, client interviewing techniques, and the operational aspects of a law office. This experience is designed to connect academic knowledge with real-world practice.
The term ends with a Post-Externship Vacation from August 3 to August 7, 2026, offering a break before the final academic push.
Externship (June 29 – July 31, 2026): After a short break, students will move to law firms. Under the guidance of experienced Principals, they’ll learn legal drafting, client interviewing techniques, and the operational aspects of a law office. This experience is designed to connect academic knowledge with real-world practice.
The term ends with a Post-Externship Vacation from August 3 to August 7, 2026, offering a break before the final academic push.
Third Term: Portfolio Assessment and the Final Stretch
The third term is the most intensive, focusing on synthesizing field experiences and preparing for the Bar Final Examinations.
It starts with the Portfolio Assessment (August 10 – August 21, 2026), where students present their externship records for evaluation. This is followed by a final block of lectures (August 31 – October 9, 2026).
This term includes clinical activities such as:
* Mock Registry Practice and Mooting exercises.
* Law Clinic activities and the Student Representative Council (SRC) Law Week.
* Final Mock Trials, which prepare students for practical advocacy.
The Third Term BOB Dinner is from October 13 to October 15, 2026, followed by the Body of Benchers Annual Lecture on October 22, 2026.
Revision and the Bar Final Examinations
The academic year culminates in the “Dreaded Week”—the Bar Final Examinations. To prepare students, a dedicated Revision Week is scheduled from Monday, 26 October to Friday, 30 October 2026.
The Bar Final Examinations are slated to run from Saturday, 31 October to Saturday, 7 November 2026. These exams are notoriously rigorous, testing students’ ability to apply law to complex scenarios across all five modules. Passing these exams is the sole prerequisite for being invited to the Call to the Bar.
Post-examination activities will continue until Friday, 18 December 2026, involving the finalization of records and student departures. The Council of Legal Education has noted that the publication of results and the official Call to the Bar ceremonies will be announced at a later date, typically occurring in the first quarter of the following year.
