It is no longer news that ESQ Practical Academy organized a
virtual conference on the 28th April 2020 and Deacon Dele Adesina
SAN who believes the future of the Nigerian Bar lies in Young
Lawyers, sponsored several old and young lawyers out of his
magnanimity to benefit from this conference, particularly the
interesting segment of how lawyers can become virtual and embrace
ce the e-lawyering skills in view of the arrival of web-based
technologies and the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
ravaging the world economy.
COVID-19 has a ravaging effect on the world economy and its
intense and rapid spread forced most countries of the world to
enforce a lockdown of every aspect of their economy including the
legal profession.
The legal profession is not free from the lockdown and this made
it very difficult for many lawyers to operate because the legal
practice has been confined to the four walls of the firm (with
files and research majorly conducted in the law library filled with
avalanche copies of books and law reports) and the court (which
obviously has no method of e-filing system).
As a young lawyer who benefitted from this sponsorship by Dele
Adesina SAN, the conference was facilitated by senior legal
practitioners across the world that are well exposed to the
practice of law in Nigeria and other countries, from whom I learnt
and understood the following lessons:
E-lawyering method should also developed: lawyers should take
the opportunity of the lessons from the Conference and the Covid-19
lockdown not to be confined any longer to the firm’s walls but
practice anywhere irrespective of time and distance with the use of
web-based databases and software system to interact with clients
and prepare required processes.
Another important lesson is that law Libraries should embrace a
virtual practice and take a new dimension. It is no longer a case
where legal practice depends heavily on library printed information
resources but e-lawyering approach that depends on electronic
information resources such as e-portals, web-based computing
devices, online databases and social media. Virtual libraries, that
is, online libraries should be adopted where you practice law
without necessary flipping through the pages of physical law
reports before a well-researched brief can be written.
Online clientele: During this lockdown lawyers have been able to
render little or no service at all, there are many clients who are
seriously in need of the services of lawyers but due to distance
and the lockdown there is no way to get the service required as the
four wall lawyer cannot access his bricks. This is where
E-lawyering becomes useful. E-lawyering involves rendering legal
services online through web based technologies and with this the
problems of clients are solved without physical contacts.
The Court is not left out, the E-filing system should also be
adopted by the courts so that the courts will not be put on
unnecessary hold in times like this. The court finds it uneasy to
sit because of the large human resources and the physical contact
required put into it for effective running of the judiciary. This
calls for E-filling system in our judiciary. I must however
acknowledge the fact that we have now began to hear the echo of
introduction of e-filing system from the judiciary in the last few
days. My hope and prayer is that the Judiciary makes this a
permanent feature in our judicial process nationwide.
Deacon has the future of the Bar at heart, the future of the Bar
are the Young Lawyers, virtual legal practice is needed more by the
young lawyers, this is why DASAN sponsored us to benefit and
implement it. This is one of the ways DASAN is coming to secure the
future of the Bar.
Do you as a lawyer still doubt if DASAN is truly coming to
secure the future of the NIGERIAN BAR? I have pitched my tent with
DASAN in order to secure the future of the Bar. Please join me on
this noble cause.
Saheed Abiola
Writes from the Ilorin Bar.
It is no longer news that ESQ Practical Academy organized a
virtual conference on the 28th April 2020 and Deacon Dele Adesina
SAN who believes the future of the Nigerian Bar lies in Young
Lawyers, sponsored several old and young lawyers out of his
magnanimity to benefit from this conference, particularly the
interesting segment of how lawyers can become virtual and embrace
ce the e-lawyering skills in view of the arrival of web-based
technologies and the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
ravaging the world economy.
COVID-19 has a ravaging effect on the world economy and its
intense and rapid spread forced most countries of the world to
enforce a lockdown of every aspect of their economy including the
legal profession.
The legal profession is not free from the lockdown and this made
it very difficult for many lawyers to operate because the legal
practice has been confined to the four walls of the firm (with
files and research majorly conducted in the law library filled with
avalanche copies of books and law reports) and the court (which
obviously has no method of e-filing system).
As a young lawyer who benefitted from this sponsorship by Dele
Adesina SAN, the conference was facilitated by senior legal
practitioners across the world that are well exposed to the
practice of law in Nigeria and other countries, from whom I learnt
and understood the following lessons:
E-lawyering method should also developed: lawyers should take
the opportunity of the lessons from the Conference and the Covid-19
lockdown not to be confined any longer to the firm’s walls but
practice anywhere irrespective of time and distance with the use of
web-based databases and software system to interact with clients
and prepare required processes.
Another important lesson is that law Libraries should embrace a
virtual practice and take a new dimension. It is no longer a case
where legal practice depends heavily on library printed information
resources but e-lawyering approach that depends on electronic
information resources such as e-portals, web-based computing
devices, online databases and social media. Virtual libraries, that
is, online libraries should be adopted where you practice law
without necessary flipping through the pages of physical law
reports before a well-researched brief can be written.
Online clientele: During this lockdown lawyers have been able to
render little or no service at all, there are many clients who are
seriously in need of the services of lawyers but due to distance
and the lockdown there is no way to get the service required as the
four wall lawyer cannot access his bricks. This is where
E-lawyering becomes useful. E-lawyering involves rendering legal
services online through web based technologies and with this the
problems of clients are solved without physical contacts.
The Court is not left out, the E-filing system should also be
adopted by the courts so that the courts will not be put on
unnecessary hold in times like this. The court finds it uneasy to
sit because of the large human resources and the physical contact
required put into it for effective running of the judiciary. This
calls for E-filling system in our judiciary. I must however
acknowledge the fact that we have now began to hear the echo of
introduction of e-filing system from the judiciary in the last few
days. My hope and prayer is that the Judiciary makes this a
permanent feature in our judicial process nationwide.
Deacon has the future of the Bar at heart, the future of the Bar
are the Young Lawyers, virtual legal practice is needed more by the
young lawyers, this is why DASAN sponsored us to benefit and
implement it. This is one of the ways DASAN is coming to secure the
future of the Bar.
Do you as a lawyer still doubt if DASAN is truly coming to
secure the future of the NIGERIAN BAR? I have pitched my tent with
DASAN in order to secure the future of the Bar. Please join me on
this noble cause.
Saheed Abiola
Writes from the Ilorin Bar.