THE FUTURE OF LAW IS LAW IN OUR PALMS
All around the world, there is an exponential growth and change in world systems, institutions and professions. People are finding new ways to do things rapidly, with less need of human intervention in the outcome of work, hence the reality of the likes of artificial intelligence (AI) is gaining grounds in almost all facets of life.
Globally, legal systems have caught wind of this development and are steadily subscribing to it. This is clearly evident in the way law reports are being reported, books are now being digitised and easily accessible just a click away. According to many tech enthusiast, legal professionals and concerned bystanders, this is only just the tip of the iceberg.
In Nigeria, a good number of Laws of the Federation can be easily accessible on a mobile device. The concept Mobile Lawyer is fast gaining grounds as lawyers can easily connect with their clients virtually through their phones or personal computers. Briefs are now made online, court processes can be served via media interfaces such as Whatsapp and mail. The days of textbook intimidation in court rooms are fast becoming a shadow of itself, because most of these laws are in the palms of the lawyer. Even lawyers are now more careful, as the intimidating volume of books are now compressed on a mobile device for their clients to read through. Some app developers have even included multiple language options for different people to read through the law.
As we speak, the disruption is taking place already. For example, in the area of legal research, Jeff Price, puts his money where his mouth is by inventing an artificial Robot Lawyer with the capability of finding various authorities according to their level of importance to a case. The Robot Lawyer also arms the user with legal arguments to help prove the case before the court. There are a good number of innovative interventions like this all around the world. There are platforms such as Compas Core that helps judges assess the likelihood of an offender committing an offence again.
In Nigeria, the waters are being stirred already. The preparations are ongoing, howbeit slow. The introduction of the Evidence Act 2011, allows for the admissibility of Electronic Evidence. This is indeed evidence that some level of preparation is ongoing. The change will surely be resisted by many traditional lawyers and lawmakers, but the future is inevitable, and just like Soren Kierkegaard said, ”Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”
It is therefore safe to project that law is steadily growing wings and comfortably pitching its nest on the palms of an average person.
Olajide Ajibowo. Esq. Aciarb.
Associate at The Penthouse Law
Founder, RYSE Africa.
Author of Everybody Is Born Pregnant.
