Nigeria, June 1 -- In Nigeria's legal profession, one tradition continues to puzzle me: the rule forbidding female lawyers from wearing trousers in court. This is a topic that most people shy away from talking about, perhaps because it is a longstanding rule that has, over time, assumed the status of a tradition. And as we know, tradition is usually followed dogmatically. Curiously, during my research on this topic, I discovered, to my consternation, that the only article on the matter was an editorial by TheNigeriaLawyer, published five years ago! That was all the confirmation I needed to know that I was not wrong for wanting to add my voice to the conversation.

To start with, the no-trousers rule is strictly enforced in courtrooms and ...