The Nigerian Legal System is marred with various issues and difficulties, which are due to bad leadership, inadequate financing, and lack of judicial/quasi-judicial personnel or trained personnel and legal practitioners.
One major problem of the Nigerian Legal System is the delay in court proceedings and the backlog of cases. This problem strains everyone involved in litigation, from the Lawyers, Judges, Litigants, and even Court Officials. The problem stems from having a limited number of Judges, Courts, and Judicial workers when you bear in mind the number of cases filed in court on a daily basis.
Implementing an electronic case filing system and digitizing court processes can speed up case management and reduce delays in legal proceedings, judgments, and execution of judgments. The Lagos State High Court, Magistrate Court, and the National Industrial Court have taken this initiative, however, there is a need for every court nationwide to adopt same. Even with the available e-filing systems, there is still room for improvement as it relates to virtual hearings, and service of all court processes digitally without recourse to an order for substituted service.
Also, Lawyers and other Judicial personnel should be trained on utilizing these electronic tools for efficacy, more staff should be employed. Doing this will definitely not only solve a problem in the legal system but will resonate with the common man and grow the confidence of Nigerians in the Judiciary as an independent body that can serve justice within the shortest possible time. Remember the popular saying that justice delayed is justice denied.
Access to justice is also a major problem faced by the Nigerian Legal System, as many Nigerians have limited access to legal services. This is because of the high rate of illiteracy among the Nigerian populace. The majority of Nigerians do not even understand something as simple as how to go about contacting a Lawyer or reaching out to agencies/NGOs whose objectives are to help those seeking justice.
Developing a digital platform that connects individuals with pro bono lawyers or legal aid services can help improve access to justice in Nigeria. The platform can either be powered by AI or not. This platform will seamlessly help people seek justice with the right prompts.
Enhancing transparency in the legal process is crucial, especially in a society that is corrupt as ours. Most legal practitioners face the issue of having to make extra financial commitments to court officials even after paying official rates. Court administrators are also faced with the headache of tracking some of the fees paid into court.
Implementing blockchain technology for recording and tracking legal transactions can ensure data integrity and transparency thereby solving this problem.
These problems are not far fetched from various factors as highlighted above and other external factors. With our platform at LegalDigital NG, we create digital tools and utilities to solve problems like these amongst other innovations to support lawyers in legal research (e.g, e-law reports, chatbots), case management tools, and collaborative platforms.
· Okoi Edward Onen, Lagos
