The Council of Legal Education, Nigerian Law School Lagos Campus is investigating a student of the Lagos Campus for drinking water directly from the bottle without the use of an available cup at the just concluded Law Dinner held on the 16th of June, 2022.

According to a viral query letter sent by the authorities, the student violated Rule 6 (29) of the Code of Conduct for Students of the Nigeria law school on dinner etiquette and manners.
It has been reported to the director and head of academics on June 16, 2022 that while Law Dinner was ongoing in the Dinning Hall, you were found putting a bottle of water in your mouth when a glass cup was on your table,” the letter signed by Fagbemi Charles-Titilayo for the Director and Head of Academics reads.

“Consequently, you are requested to explain why disciplinary action should not be taken against you for violating Rule 6 (29) of the Code of Conduct for Students of the Nigeria law school on dinner etiquette and manners.

“Your explanation, if any should be forwarded to the Director and Head of Academics within 24 hours on receipt of this letter.”



Dinners

Dinners are very important. It is as important as your bar finals(exams). In every term, you must attend the law school dinner. The first time I heard of law school dinner, I thought it meant a fancy dinner where you wear fancy gowns and have fun. It’s quite the opposite. Law dinners are very formal and solemn. It’s like a funeral. The law is that if you don’t attend the law dinner that was held in a term, then you would have to come back during the next session to dine. You must attend the 3 law dinners in every term so long as it was held. Another effect of not attending the law dinner is that such a person would not be called to bar even if the person is the overall best.

WHAT HAPPENS DURING THE DINNER.

Students are expected to be at the dining hall minutes before the dinner starts in their black suits and skirts for ladies. Both the gents and the ladies are expected to be fit and proper. Ladies must attend the dinner on their natural hair or make use of a black head covering not scarfs. Ladies are usually given a scarf, blue in colour. Ladies are meant to wrap the scarfs around their neck during the dinner. For the guys, instead of scarfs, it is a blue tie with the same design.

Punctuality is the sole of business when it comes to law school. The students could wait for 1 or 2 hours before the dinner starts in the hall. The dinner starts when the body of benchers enter the hall. Thereafter, we dine that is, we eat. There are three course meal taken during the dinner. The first course meal could be ice cream ( lagos campus), bread and butter (kano campus). The second course meal could be jollof rice with chicken and the third could be pepper soup. On each table, there are juices and wines and bottled water to quench your taste. The whole dinner lasts for not more than hour. Students are allowed to speak in hushed tones during dinners. Lest I forget, phones are not permitted during dinners. After the dinner, a speech is given by the chairman and then each member of the body of bencher present is introduced. Thereafter, the body of benchers and the lecturers file out. END OF DINNER.

See letter below