Abstract
A lawyer is meant to abide by the rules governing the ethics in the practice of the legal profession. The rules connote some duties. Amongst such duties is the duty to accept brief otherwise known as the Cab Rank rule. A legal practitioner therefore has a duty to accept the brief of client subject to the provision stated in the stipulated rule. But there are exceptions to this duty which this work will address. Apart from the client brief, there may be another brief from the court with regards to criminal cases which is known as the court brief. Thus, the court can on behalf of an accused person request a legal practitioner to defend an accused person who has been charged for an offence but has no legal representation. A legal practitioner in this instance is saddled with the responsibility of accepting such court brief unless excused by the exceptions which this work will buttress. It is pertinent to ask if a legal practitioner is so bound in this instance.
Keywords: Cabrank, Legal Practitioner, Legal Profession, Offence, Murder, Manslaughter