The President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Afam Osigwe, on Wednesday urged lawyers and judicial officers to embrace technology and innovation or risk becoming irrelevant in the rapidly evolving legal profession.
- +Embrace technology, innovations, NBA President urges lawyers
Osigwe gave the charge in Jalingo, Taraba State, during the NBA Law Week 2026, stressing the urgent need for the profession to align with global realities.
Osigwe gave the charge in Jalingo, Taraba State, during the NBA Law Week 2026, stressing the urgent need for the profession to align with global realities.
According to him, technological advancement has significantly transformed legal practice worldwide, warning that practitioners who fail to adapt would be left behind.
“The world is changing and the legal profession must be prepared for the changing times. We cannot continue to do things the way we used to do,” he said.
He recalled the transition from manual typewriters to computers and digital communication, noting that emerging technologies now offer opportunities to simplify processes and improve efficiency.
Osigwe cited the downfall of global firms like Nokia and IBM as cautionary examples of institutions that failed to innovate.
“Nokia dominated the mobile phone industry at a time, but it failed because it refused to innovate. The legal profession must learn from that,” he said.
He also advocated the adoption of digital tools such as electronic filing of court processes, noting that it would ease the burden on lawyers and judges, especially in cases involving large volumes of documents like election petitions.
The NBA president further raised concerns over growing health risks in the profession, attributing cases of sudden death among practitioners to stress and high blood pressure, and urged lawyers to prioritise their well-being.
Osigwe commended the NBA Jalingo Branch for its active participation in national programmes.
In his keynote address, a Justice of the Court of Appeal, Nnamdi Dimgba, called for technological adoption, continuous learning and structured mentorship among legal practitioners.
Speaking on the theme, “Raising the Bar: Equipping Lawyers for the Modern Legal Landscape,” Dimgba said the lawyer of the future must combine traditional ethics with digital competence, describing such a professional as a hybrid.
He noted that modern legal practice requires knowledge of emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, data privacy and digital evidence, while stressing the need for critical judgment in the use of AI tools.
“The day you stop learning is the day you begin your professional retirement,” he said, urging senior lawyers to embrace mentorship, including reverse mentorship with younger practitioners.
Dimgba identified weak institutional frameworks, poor mentorship culture and slow technology adoption as key challenges, calling for reforms as the Law Week attracted participants from Taraba and other states, including Niger, Gombe, Adamawa, Benue and the FCT.
