Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) is a title conferred on legal practitioners in Nigeria who have distinguished themselves in the legal profession. The title is the equivalent of the rank of Queen’s Counsel in the United Kingdom as well as in South Australia, the Northern Territory, and Canada (except Ontario and Quebec).
The rank of Senior Advocates of Nigeria was first conferred on April 3, 1975, the recipients were Chief F.R.A. Williams, S.A.N and Dr. N.B. Graham-Douglas, S.A.N. Prior to that time the position was that Lawyers who had distinguished themselves in practice were conferred to the rank of QC (Queen’s Counsel) but with the attainment of the republican status in 1963, the designation became quite acknowledged.
As of 1st October, 2017, 480 Lawyers had been awarded the prestigious rank of Senior Advocates of Nigeria by the Legal Practitioner Privilege Committee.