Challenges to the Effective Utilization of Technology in Legal Education and Practice in Nigeria

Despite the huge benefits conferred by the use of technology in legal education and practice, there are some challenges that make the effective utilization of technology in the legal profession in Nigeria seem impossible.

1. The first challenge is the lack of internet or technology culture among law teachers and their students on the one hand and lawyers and their clients on the other hand. While many advanced jurisdictions have been able to inculcate the technology/internet culture, Nigeria lags behind a great deal in this respect. Many law teachers, students and lawyers are still in the analogue and paper world; unwilling to change or adapt to the sweeping technology culture. This could be due to sheer conservatism or a general distrust for the internet and technology. The situation has however changed and no one can stop the wave of technology sweeping over the world at the moment.

2. The high cost of technology may also be responsible for the low response to it in Nigeria. A high amount of capital needs to be invested if a law firm or faculty is to be technology compliant. Not only do computers and other ICT devices or hardware need to be purchased but a constant upgrade and maintenance will be required from time to time. Majority of the law firms are however sole proprietorships which cannot afford such capital-intensive investment. The same problem also applies to law faculties since there are no sufficient funds allocated by the government for the education sector. Most law faculties within the country do not have adequate computers, projectors or internet connectivity within the classroom. In addition, quality online legal research is not usually free. Money is required to subscribe to CIAL sites such as Westlaw, LexisNexis and Nigeria’s Law Pavilion. Academic journals also require subscription fees whether individual or institutional which many law faculties and firms cannot afford.

 3. The non-availability of fast high-speed internet also adversely affects the use of ICT in legal education, research and practice. A large proportion of the Nigerian populace has access to internet through the four major telecommunication companies (MTN, Globacom, Airtel and Etisalat). While this has allowed a larger number of people to have internet access, it is unarguable that the internet services provided are unreliable and slow. This discourages the end user as well as makes it sometimes impossible to perform some tasks, which require highspeed internet. Some mobile networks are also unavailable or not good in certain locations. The high cost of internet service must also be taken into consideration. All these impede the influence technology has in the Nigerian legal profession.

4. The non-availability of constant electricity has affected the use of technology. Almost, all technological devices require electricity to work effectively. However, a fundamental problem in the Nigerian society is inadequate or a crippled power supply. The situation is worse in some areas where there is no power supply for weeks or months or none at all.

5. A major challenge law teachers contend with in the use of internet by law students is that of plagiarism. The internet and technology makes it easy for students to plagiarize the works of others by simply copying and pasting information found on the internet as theirs. The situation could be worse where students collect the soft copies of someone’s thesis and merely effect a change of personal information and institution while presenting same as their own research work. The fact that technology and internet makes plagiarism easier is incontestable.