The death of renowned legal scholar and advocate, Professor Alfred Bandele Kasunmu, SAN, has altered the hierarchy of seniority within Nigeria’s legal profession, with Chief Folake Solanke, SAN, emerging as the most senior living Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
Kasunmu, who died at the age of 92, was, until his death, the most senior living Senior Advocate of Nigeria and, by virtue of that distinction, the statutory Vice-Chairman of the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BOSAN).
According to a tribute by Chief Kemi Pinheiro, OFR, SAN, LLD, FCIArb., the position now falls to Solanke, herself one of the most distinguished figures in the Nigerian Bar.
Pinheiro described Kasunmu’s position as a measure of the exceptional stature he attained within the legal profession over several decades.
“With his passing, that distinction and position now fall on Chief Folake Solanke, SAN, herself a towering figure of the Nigerian Bar,” Pinheiro stated.
He described Kasunmu as a “living institution of the Nigerian Bar”, whose name commanded respect in the courtroom, the academy, and the administration of justice.
Kasunmu’s legal career spanned advocacy, academia, and public service. He was a formidable advocate, distinguished scholar, former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice of Lagos State, and Professor of Law at Obafemi Awolowo University and the University of Lagos.
Beyond his professional titles, Pinheiro described him as “a lawyer’s lawyer” and “a gentleman through and through”, stressing that his influence extended far beyond the courtroom.
He said Kasunmu was renowned for his formidable command of the law, intellectual rigour, and celebrated photographic memory, while his commitment to mentoring generations of Nigerian lawyers and judges remained one of his most enduring legacies.
Recalling his courtroom encounters with the late legal giant, Pinheiro said Kasunmu’s advocacy was characterised by precision, penetrating questions, and an ability to dismantle an opponent’s case without losing his wit or composure.
He particularly recalled the case Dioudonne Donnie Ngnoumen v. Texaco Overseas, in which Kasunmu represented the opposing side and conducted what Pinheiro described as a devastating cross-examination.
“There was theatre in his advocacy; there was intellect in every question; there was purpose behind every pause,” Pinheiro said.
He, however, noted that the Kasunmu he remembered most was not merely the formidable advocate he encountered in court, but the friend who stood beside him during a difficult period of his career.
Pinheiro said Kasunmu’s passing represented a major loss to the Nigerian Bar, academia, and the administration of justice.
“Today, the Bar has lost one of its finest forensic minds; the academy has lost a distinguished teacher; the legal profession has lost one of its great repositories of knowledge and experience,” he said.
He added that Kasunmu’s ultimate legacy would not be measured merely by the titles he accumulated, but by the lives he strengthened and the generations of lawyers he influenced.
Kasunmu, he said, might have taken his “final bow”, but his contributions to the legal profession would endure.
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