Folashade Alli, SAN, is the new Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association’s Section on Legal Practice (NBA-SLP). She takes over from Boma Alabi, SAN. Mrs. Alli’s formal take-over took place in Enugu, the Enugu State capital, on the sidelines of the Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association.
NEWSWIRE’S correspondent in Enugu reports that the Section held it’s Annual General Meeting on the sidelines of the NBA Conference in the Coal City, during which the immediate past Chairman of the Section, Boma Alabi, SAN underlined the importance of constantly enhance the practice of law. Alabi also called on the in-coming executive committee to elevate practice in Nigeria, as well as build a culture of scholarship within the Bar.
The former SLP chair also called on members to use the opportunity of the AGM to address issues affecting the growth and interests of the Section, review ongoing projects and initiatives, receive feedbacks and then suggestions and strengthen collaboration among Section officers and members, as well as the wider Bar community. It was also an opportunity, she noted, for members to re-dedicate themselves to the cause of advancing the Section’s objectives. These objectives, Alabi stressed, include promoting specialized legal practice; continuing legal education; and professional development.
Alabi’s formal annual report on her stewardship as SLP Chair featured the following highlights:
– Alabi recalled that the 2024 NBA-AGC in Lagos hosted a highly impactful session that explored the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Nigeria’s justice system. It was a session, she said, which underscored the SLP’s commitment to driving innovation and reform within the legal profession; focused on the potential of AI to revolutionize court processes and legal workflows; how AI can enhance efficiency, transparency and access to justice, as well as the ethical and regulatory considerations surrounding AI adoption in legal practice.
– The outgoing year, according to her, was a record-breaking one for the SLP in terms of high-impact capacity-building initiatives for members.Through its various committees, Alabi said, the SLP organized invaluable training programmes and professional development activities for members of the Bar – mainly via webinars of high relevance, depth and practical value.
– She cited the example of the SLP’s Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Committee held a webinar which developed a draft on “Model Practice Directions on Court-Connected Mediation” to promote mediation as a viable alternative to litigation for resolving court-filed disputes; enhance efficiency, access to justice and reduce case backlogs in Nigerian courts; provide a structural framework for court-connected mediation across jurisdictions; and standardize and expand such frameworks nationwide.
“These directions,” Mrs. Alabi said, “cover everything from case referrals to mediator qualifications, confidentiality and enforcement of settlements.”
– Another webinar by the ADR Committee, on “The National Policy on Arbitration and ADR: From Vision to Action l” focused on
1. Positioning Nigeria as a regional and global hub for arbitration and ADR.
2. Positioning efficient dispute resolution mechanisms beyond traditional litigation and aligning Nigeria’s legal framework with international best practices.
3. Practical implementation measures and developing a national judicial policy on arbitration to guide courts in referring disputes to ADR.
4. Encouraging a judicial culture that supports arbitration and ADR.
5. Training of judges and court staff on ADR procedures and ethics.
6. Establishing a national arbitration and ADR register to track cases and practitioners;and
7. The imperative of Government participation, education and awareness.
– Alabi added that during the period under review, the Family Law and Human Rights Committee worked on developing legal frameworks for regulating surrogacy that would provide a comprehensive legislation in Nigeria to safeguard the rights and responsibilities of all parties involved in surrogacy arrangements, (including intending parents,surrogates and children).
– She also highlighted another webinar by the Family Law and Human Rights Committee, which offered a critical examination of the legal and ethical dimensions surrounding child labour and domestic employment in Nigeria, exploring the intersection of law, human rights and socio-cultural realities, and focusing on both adult domestic workers and children engaged in domestic service.
– For its part, the Law Firm Management Committee had three webinars, the first of which had the theme, Building a Personal Brand in Your Legal Career, and emphasized the strategic importance of personal branding in the legal profession, and shared very useful insights on how lawyers can build and sustain a compelling professional identity. This was closely followed by the Leadership Development and Training for Future Firm Leaders webinar which explored the skills and mindset required to lead a law firm effectively in a dynamic legal landscape, focusing on key areas like business development skills; networking and relationship management; the purpose-driven practice; and challenges for young lawyers. A third webinar, Harnessing the Power of Legal Tech:The Role of AI in Transforming Legal Practice in Nigeria critically examined how AI is reshaping legal workflows with key insights on efficiency gains, ethical and regulatory considerations, regulatory frameworks and compliance, legal research, case management and predictive analytics.
– The Litigation Committee had two webinars. The first, “The Advertisement Conundrum:Interrogating the Rules of Professional Conduct” with particular attention to Rule 39 of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners had discussion highlights on legal advertising restrictions, adulatory publications, Rule 39 compliance, and the role and impact of technology. The Committee’s second webinar, “Beyond the Minimum: Strategic Fee Negotiation and Value Creation Under the Remuneration Order 2023” was designed to equip participants with the practical tools and insights to effectively leverage the Legal Practitioners Remuneration Order (LPRO) 2023 for strategic and ethical fee negotiation, enhanced value creation in legal services, sustainable practice growth and client satisfaction, avoidance of common pitfalls in misapplication or under-utilization of the Order, as well as ensuring fair compensation for lawyers, promoting uniformity and predictability in legal fees and preventing under-pricing, and exploitation in legal practice.
– With the advent of AI and other legal practice tech tools, the NBA-SLP’s Technology and Law Committee is understandably assuming increasing importance. The AGM was informed that this Committee, led by Fernandez Marcus-Obiene consistently organized impactful webinars aimed at bridging the gap between technology and legal practice, with sessions providing participants with critical insights into emerging tech trends, regulatory frameworks and practical applications relevant to modern legal work. In a record that positions the NBA-SLP as the leading Section in the evolving intersection of law and innovation, as well as enhancing members’ understanding of the central role of technology in legal practice, the Technology & Law Committee logged a total of twelve webinars.
Here is the list:
1. Demystifying Technology in Legal Practice Part 1- Understanding the Basics.
2. Demystifying Technology in Legal Practice Part 2- Advanced Applications and Ethics.
3. Cybersecurity,Electronic Signatures and Legal Practice in Nigeria.
4. AI and Legal Practice Part 1: Practical Challenges and Ethical Concerns.
5. AI and Legal Practice Part 2:Real World Applications and Case Studies.
6. Legal Tech Startups: Innovation, Investment and Career Opportunities.
7. Deploying Offline AI Models for Secure Legal Practice:A Demonstration Session.
8. Beyond Search:Using Google’s AI for Law Practice – A Practical Guide.
9. ChatGPT in Legal Practice:A Hands-On Guide to Using AI Safely and Effectively.
10. Law in the Cloud: Managing Client Files, Calendars and Compliance Online.
11. How To Use Cloud Tools Securely and Ethically in Legal Practice? and
12. Template to Trial:AI-Powered Court Documents Drafting Techniques.
NEWSWIRE’s correspondent recalls that in April 2025, the NBA-SLP held its 2025 Annual Conference in Jos, the with the theme, ‘Uncommon Challenges in a Rapidly Changing Legal Environment’ which explored cutting-edge legal solutions and digital transformation in legal practice, the expansion of ADR mechanisms to enhance efficiency and reduce litigation backlog, legal empowerment initiatives and strategies to improve justice delivery for marginalized populations, professional development, continuing legal education (CLE) credits, mentorship opportunities and exposure to emerging legal trends.
According to NEWSWIRE’s correspondent, following the outcome of the NBA-SLP biennial elections held in accordance with the Third Schedule Part 11 of the Uniform By-Laws for Sections under the NBA Constitution (as amended in 2021), new officers were inaugurated to lead the Section as its Executive Committee. In addition to the new NBA-SLP Chairman, Folashade Alli, SAN, the new executive committee will include the following, among others;
– Tonye Krukrubo, SAN (Vice-Chairman);
– Stanislaus Nwadike (Secretary);
– Femi Idowu (Financial Secretary); and
– Joyce Eseni (Asst. Secretary);
The committee also includes five co-opted members. Until her ascension to the Chairmanship, Alli was the Vice-Chairman of the Section.
The NBA-SLP was created in 2003 to, among other things, assist members to develop and improve their legal services to the public and to promote and provide continuing legal education.
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