MD, LawPavilion, Mr. Olugasa.
By Editor, (HiTech&Digital Economy).
In a bid to ensure that no lawyer in Nigeria is left behind in adopting technology in this new normal, LawPavilion has characteristically further disrupted Law Reporting and Electronic Legal Research in Nigeria by releasing an application that allows Judges and Lawyers to carry out their electronic legal research seamlessly with minimal internet connectivity, using WhatsApp.
Recently, The Advocate News spoke to Ope Olugasa, the managing director of the company, on how the company is helping stakeholders in the legal industry to attain optimal productivity in this new normal.
According to Mr. Olugasa, LawPavilion chose to integrate one of its flagship products with WhatsApp. This is because in addition to the wide acceptance that WhatsApp enjoys (as it is used by almost all legal practitioners in Nigeria), it requires minimal internet access to function, and is easy to operate. LawPavilion is now giving users access to search judgments of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal from 1960 till date through WhatsApp.
He explained that LawPavilion Business Solutions Ltd the foremost LegalTech company in Nigeria has been around for over one and a half decades, providing LegalTech Solutions to stakeholders in the legal industry.
Olugasa, while highlighting how some law firms were able to achieve more despite the lockdown and subsequent remote working last year, observed that indeed in the words of Malcomn X, the future belongs to those who prepare for it today.
He explained how the law firms which were able to upscale despite the unprecedented challenges brought about by the pandemic, were those which have equipped their law firms with the appropriate technology.
He however stated that upon a survey conducted by LawPavilion, it was observed that the advantages brought by the efficient use of appropriate technology seems to be enjoyed and accessible only to lawyers/law firms in the urban areas or areas with relatively stable internet connectivity. According to the survey, majority of the lawyers/law firms that were able to cash-in during the pandemic are those that have access to good internet connection. Regrettably, the internet connectivity in Nigeria still has low coverage and is particularly slow outside the major cities.
Following this discovery, Olugasa said the organization couldn’t help but empathise with lawyers and judges outside the urban areas, who are affected by very unreliable internet access, yet need to offer premium legal services to their clients at all times.
He reminded us that the need for lawyers and judges to keep defending the rule of law and ideals of the society, regardless of lockdown or economic hardship, is not limited to the urban areas alone as it is the mainstay of the justice system.
Thus, it felt like the lawyers and judges in the not-so-urban areas are short-changed as they are somewhat not placed on a level playing field with their counterparts in the urban areas who have access to high speed internet connectivity to power their LegalTech solutions and augment their legal practice.
Motivated by the need to afford lawyers and judges in places outside the urban areas access to electronic legal research to ensure a more productive legal service delivery, Ope Olugasa said LawPavilion, as the preferred ICT partner of the legal industry, has innovated the solution called PrimSol Lite, to ensure that no lawyer is left behind in this technology driven new normal.
What this means, is that all judges and lawyers – be it those in the city with high speed internet connection or those in the suburbs with restricted access to the internet – can now carry out their electronic legal research on their phones, using their WhatsApp application.
Speaking further on Primsol Lite, Olugasa said that because the motivation for this innovation is not for profit but to help all lawyers and judges (particularly those outside the urban areas) surmount the challenge of not having access to the perks of electronic legal research tool, PrimSol Lite comes at a very affordable rate.
This is to ensure that PrimSol Lite is affordable to every legal practitioner, particularly in the reality of the current economic hardship due to the pandemic.
In his words: “Legal research has never been this easy and affordable. With PrimSol Lite and for a token, lawyers can focus on being productive instead of being busy”.
When asked if PrimSol Lite is available for subscription, Olugasa replied that the solution will be available to the general public from this week.
He urged judges, lawyers, law students and other stakeholders in the legal industry to ensure they take advantage of this easy and affordable solution to make the best out of their legal research.
He concluded by reiterating LawPavilion’s commitment as the preferred ICT partner for the legal industry to consistently provide superior technology solutions to make legal service delivery more efficient, affordable and seamless for all.
