Professional Ethics and Public Law: An Appraisal of Lawyers’ Duties to the Court and Client in Nigerian Anti-Corruption Litigation

The intersection of professional legal ethics and public law in anti-corruption litigation raises complex questions about lawyers' competing obligations to their clients and to the integrity of the justice system in Nigeria. As the EFCC and ICPC prosecute increasingly complex financial crime cases, defence counsel face ethical pressures arising from client privilege claims, evidence suppression, and delay tactics that challenge professional conduct rules. This study appraises the professional ethical obligations of lawyers involved in anti-corruption litigation in Nigeria, examining the Rules of Professional Conduct 2007, the EFCC Act provisions on legal professional privilege, and documented disciplinary proceedings involving counsel in anti-corruption cases from 2015 to 2023. A doctrinal and professional practice methodology is adopted, reviewing the Legal Practitioners Act, the Rules of Professional Conduct, Supreme Court decisions on lawyer conduct in criminal proceedings, and disciplinary decisions of the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee. The study evaluates the tension between zealous client representation and obligations to the court and public interest. Available legal ethics literature from Nigeria identifies fabricated delay applications, false evidence certification, and client confidentiality abuse in asset tracing proceedings as the most documented professional conduct violations. The Duty to Court Principle and the International Bar Association Code of Professional Ethics provide the normative reference. Recommendations address mandatory ethics continuing education for criminal law practitioners and stronger LPDC enforcement capacity. Keywords: professional ethics, anti-corruption litigation, lawyers' duties, Legal Practitioners Act, Nigeria.