The Young Wigs Conference 2021, which is slated for the 27th and 28th of September, 2021, is set against the background of the current state of the administration of justice system in Nigeria, which was inherited from the colonial administration and has been domesticated post-independence in the academic curricula of law faculties in the various universities across Nigeria, as well as six law schools in Bayelsa, Kano, Lagos, Abuja, Enugu and Yola, which graduate about 5,000 lawyers annually.
Founded in 2015 by Mrs. Inemesit Joy Dike, MCIArb, A.C.I.S, a legal practitioner educated and registered to practice both in Nigeria and the United States of America, and currently serving as the CEO of The Legal Concierge, the Young Wigs Conference is a platform designed to bridge the skills gap between young, upwardly mobile lawyers and the realities of the practice of law while encouraging innovation and creative skills for effective use of technology in today’s legal sphere. The Conference, which has over the years grown to become a 10,000-strong community, has as one of its signature events a gathering targeted at young lawyers and law students at the bottom of the revenue pyramid, who meet to learn, share knowledge and help one another.
The 2021 edition of ths Conference has as its theme, “TECHONOMY: WHAT LAW SCHOOL DOESN’T TEACH YOU. ” The word ‘TECHONOMY’ is a term combining the words “Technology” and “Economy”, and reflects the organizers’ ethos that technology is inextricably entwined with the economy of legal practice. The Conference is expected to foster multidisciplinary dialogue for the benefit of 4th- and 5th-year undergraduate law students and students at the Nigerian Law School, young lawyers between 1 and 7 years post-call, as well as senior members of the Bar interested in coming to terms with ongoing evolutions in law.
The event, which is slated for the Amani Event Centre, located along Nassarawa Road in Kano, the Kano State capital, will feature the following schedule of events:
On the 27th September, 2021 in Kano, the event will kick off with a series of virtual workshops from 9am -2pm. Notable international speakers will be sharing their insights on various aspects of Techonomy. Thereafter, the first Young African Lawyers and Technologists (Y.A.L.T) Local Content Roundtable is scheduled to hold. Participants will discuss the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA) and the necessary steps that need to be taken by young lawyers and technologists to maximize the benefits accruable from the pact.
On the 28th, the focal technical sessions of the Young Wigs Conference will take place with outstanding industry leaders within the law, academia, the tech industry and in business. Time is between 8am-2pm.
- These activities are in line with the objective of the AFTCA, namely:
- • To institutionalize peer review mechanism on local content for law and technology, as a key development imperative for domestication and sustainable growth of Africa’s resources.
- • To discuss practical steps to promote intra-African trade by African SMEs and startups through the leveraging of existing opportunities as well as future provisions of the agreement, and
- • To enable participants to work on strategic ideas to facilitate an urgent and engagement between the public and private sectors.
- A sterling galaxy of industry leaders is expected to be in attendance at the Kano gathering. They include the following, among many others:
- – Olumide Akpata, President of the Nigerian Bar Association
- – Hannibal E. Uwaifo, President of the African Bar Association
- – Mrs. Boma Alabi, SAN, Founding Partner at Primera Africa Legal
- – Bolaji Balogun, Chairman of ChapelHill Denham
- – Deremi Atanda, Executive Director, System Specs
- – Francis Anatogu, Executive Secretary at the Secretariat of the National Action Committee on AFCTA
- – Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, Executive Secretary, NCDMB
- – Basil Udotai, Managing Partner at Technology Advisors
- – Abdul Hakeem Ajijola of the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD),
- – Mohammed Jega, Founder of Start Up Arewa
- Prospective attendees are requested to kindly engage with the organisers at the following contacts: +234 8033010052 and by email to: info@thelegalconcierge.org.
- For further information, it is also advisable to click on www.thelegalconcierge.org/attend.
