Where Do Nigerian Lawyers Stand?! By Hameed Ajibola Jimoh Esq. – TheNigerialawyer

Technologies have risen today to a very unreachable and
unbeatable level of which they are likely to go higher than can be
imagined in period to come. This situation has thrown everyone into
a situation where everyone is caught up unaware of the development
of technologies. In this struggle, government has been confronted
with several issues related to technologies such as technologies
crimes or cyber-crimes so to say, dissemination of hate speeches,
cyber-terrorism (specifically), cyber-bullying (where one person
intimidates or threatens another via the cyber or electronically),
scammers’ cause of discomfort to citizens and unaware-users of the
technologies, hackers’ efforts, commercial/businesses in
technologies and generation or loss of revenue by the government to
tech-practitioners who are without means of remitting taxes to the
government, etc., the situations which have continued to compel
government to formulate several policies and or laws regulating
technologies and many more are yet to be seen. Also, the world is
growing technologically even to such extent as it is today where
meeting with clients physically or clients meeting with lawyers
physically is getting faded away and or have no importance in the
legal practice anymore. Hence, this paper is aimed at energizing
Nigerian lawyers on the need for them to get engaged into the tech
practices and to be abreast of the Nigerian government’s tech-laws
and or regulations both generally, in civil and in criminal areas
of practices.

The word ‘technology’ or ‘tech’ is defined by the
Online Webster Dictionary as ‘the use of science in industry,
engineering, etc. to invent useful things or to solve
problems’,  ‘a machine, piece of equipment, method, etc., that
is created by technology’. As of today, it will be
surprising to know that for every technology that exists as either:
gadgets such as phones, etc, equipment, software, applications,
among others, there are laws and regulations regulating all of
those. Nevertheless, the question is ‘where are Nigerian lawyers?!’
Do we even research to meet up or find out about all of those
laws?! There are several seminars organised by individuals as
services to humanity even free of charge to lawyers but only very
few are seen to have attended! The Nigerian Bar
Association, Abuja Branch, under the Chairmanship of Mr Folarin
Aluko had of recent (though not the first time), organized a
tech-law Discussion Series on the topic ‘Legal Practice in the
Digital Eco-system’. Ask how many lawyers were
chanced so to say, to attend the programme?! Though, lawyers were
in high numbers but not as expected! Also, the A &
E Techlaw Forum (a workshop) for startup was also organised by the
A & E Law Partnership on the 5^th day of November,
2019, on the theme: ‘The Intersection of Law and Technology’
featuring sessions on: Opportunities for tech startups in the law
and justice sector; and exploring solutions to regulatory
challenges facing tech startups. Ask me how many lawyers attended
that programme?! Surprising! In deed! Very
unfortunately, there are those young lawyers who are caught up by
such question as to ‘there exists a faction in so and
so branch of the Nigerian Bar Association’ therefore,
I prefer to sit on the fence and not participate in any of their
programme! It is worthy for this person to note that
‘participation’ is for his own personal
benefits! What the NBA Abuja Branch under the
Chairmanship of Mr Folarin Aluko has done and has been doing is to
create opportunities for you as lawyers whether young or senior. It
is your own personal decision to decide whether you would like to
benefit and equip yourself with such opportunities! At least, the
time when the village crier who goes about ringing bells to
community members to disseminate information is gone and the time
of technologies has brought the advent of social media and other
platforms where information is disseminated so that no lawyer will
say that he never got to know that such capacity building sessions
are being held! Whatever you gained at such programme remains with
you and not with the organisers! So, it is really
important that lawyers must leave out of the olden days ways,
manners and styles of doing things and consider creating time to
build more capacity in themselves especially the young lawyers, so
that that bright future envisaged would have started from
today!

Furthermore, we have heard and or seen situations where those
lawyers abroad through technologies, are taking and or sucking the
fat briefs in Nigeria right from abroad without stepping into
Nigeria through technological advancement or with the aid of
technologies, whereas, Nigerian lawyers are typical of still
preparing their drafts handwritten and taking same to business
centers for typing in public despite the confidentiality innate in
the legal practice! When would we as Nigerian lawyers change our
orientation, I ask, please?! The constant thing in life they say,
is ‘change’ but it does not seem that Nigerian lawyers are ready to
change for advancement and or development, hence our careless
attitude to technologies! Permit me, if I have my ways, my child
who would be a lawyer will rather study Computer Science or
Information Technology in addition to his study of law! The world
is advancing and we must advance alongside! Same happens to
tech-libraries. When some of us do not see some of our colleagues
in the physical library, we tag him as unserious without knowing
that we are the ones that are not serious really! The colleague
that is being seen as unserious is in his room or hostel, with
updated e-library that affords him the opportunity of reading
through and researching in the world’s library! Yet, you are there
saying that he is not serious! Really?! It is alright! The future
will judge!

Finally, I am of the firm believe that having read this paper,
whenever you as a lawyer hears about a seminar or Discussion series
or other programme in technologies or tech-laws, I am convinced
that you would be the first to participate with punctuality! The
truth also is that all these programme could have been paid for if
not rendered for free of charge, yet, it costs us discomfort to
attend and add more exposure! All these are the bases of my
question in this topic that ‘where do Nigerian lawyers
stand?!’. So, where do you as a Nigerian lawyer stand?! Let the
answer be rhetoric!

Email: [email protected]^[1]