SPA Ajibade Annual Lecture: Embrace AI Technology Now, Lawyers Told

Stories by Steve Aya

Lawyers and law firm administrators have been told to embrace Artificial Intelligence and IT technology now, as the world, and indeed, law practice, is moving toward digital technology at a very fast pace.

These were the general views of the panel of discussants as well as the Guest Speaker, at the 2021 annual SPA Ajibade annual lecture which held on Thursday at the Westwood hotel at Ikoyi.

Speaking at the lecture, the Chief Judge of Borno State, Justice Kazeem Zanna, said that the nation’s judiciary is moving on the right track, by embracing information technology.

He said that the current judicial information policy is aimed at bringing all the State Judiciaries into the It world, because of the huge benefit therein. He also acknowledged the huge demand of data and cost of investment, but said that the advantage to be derived is plentiful.

The Guest Speaker, Prof. Victor Rodriguez Doncel, who is an Associate Professor at AI Universidad Politechica de Madrid Spain, said that AI has come to stay in the world. He traced the advent of AI, and how it is gradually taking its place in the world system today. He also stated its impact in both the law courts and to the law profession in general, emphasising that there is nothing to fear, but rather AI will lead to a better, quicker service delivery justice and legal services generally.

Mr Oyetola Atoyebi, SAN, in his submission, said that technology and IT have not really taken anything away from Lawyers or law practice, rather it has improved it, making it more accessible. He however, spoke of the need to regulate the type of information to make public. He maintained that with information technology, some of the challenges faced in administration of criminal justice in Nigeria will be solved.

In his own contribution Mr. Ope Olugasa, said that the current speed of digital transformation within the Judiciary is mind blowing, noting that at the current rate, it would not be long before everything goes digital. He said from the current experience a lot of clients prefer online services, so there is need for Lawyers to up their game.

While Mrs. Funkola Odeleye, a practicing Lawyer, spoke on how AI and IT impacted her work positively as a Lawyer, as well as her business life.

In his welcoming address, the Managing Partner of SPA Ajibade, Dr Babatunde Ajibade, SAN, said that recent events have shown that IT and digital technology are taking over the legal space, and only Lawyers who are conversant with its ways will become relevant in the long run. He further pointed to the recent move to have digital transmission of trials, particularly criminal matters which are mostly affected by our system, as where there are no vehicles to bring suspects to court or other reasons that are legitimate.