Globalization: SAN, Charges Lawyers to Upgrade Technologically
By Alex Uangbaoje, Kaduna
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief Anthony Idigbe, has challenged lawyers in the country to as a matter of urgent importance equip themselves with technical knowledge if they most remain relevant in the legal sector in the face of globalization.
The SAN, who is the Senior Partner, Punuka Attorneys & Solicitors, and the keynote speaker at a public lecture in commemoration of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), “2018 Law Week”, made the call in Kaduna on Monday.
Idigbe, who spoke on the theme: “A Profession Grasping for Breath; Modern Challenges, Prospects and Opportunities of Legal Practice”, told the lawyers to develop technology applications that can aid their work and make it easy.
He observed that from the way the legal sector and the judiciary is going in Nigeria, Judges are becoming more technically prepared for the future than the lawyers, as such, very soon the lawyers will begin to face challenges in court.
According to him, “the clients are becoming more demanding and they are no longer ready to pay too much for legal services, at the same time they want speed and efficiency from lawyers they don’t want waste of time and the volume of work is increasing. So the only solution is to apply technology, technology will able to enable lawyers to do the work within a very short time.”
He said the appreciation of technology has greatly increased in Africa, but that there is still serious challenge technologically in delivery legal services, adding, “what we need is more education, more commitment, that is why I appreciate what we have done told.
We have spoken to lawyers at the grassroot, explaining to them what the variables are and the imperatives for change and that if they don’t change, that the technology is going to come anyway, and they are going to be out work, there are market forces, competitive forces that other lawyers and non lawyers providing the same services and clients unbundling the services and then moving those that are more process based to completely different countries. Think we are in the process of preparing our lawyers to be able to compete in that environment.
On his part, Chairman, Kaduna State Branch of NBA, Suleiman Shuaibu Esq, assured that with the insightful presentation by the speaker, his members are now better knowledgeable with new ideas.
He said this year’s ‘Law Week’ like every other ones, is one that is distinct and that the intention of the gathering was to share ideas and to see how the knowledge of their members can be better, and according to him has been achieved.
