Law, Media and Economic Development

Despite the heavy rain and late arrival of Conference materials, the morale of delegates at the 56TH Annual Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association was predominantly high. It was one of the largest gathering of Legal Practitioners in the World with world renowned and highly resourceful Discussants speaking on topics that cut across all sectors and their contributions to the Economic Development of our Nation. Every session was chaired by a Legal Luminary of great repute.

The Social scene was equally invigorating. Lawyers were serenaded by the finest in the entertainment industry. The food and snacks at the Friendship Centre were surprisingly affordable and delicious especially the local appetizer: Roasted Plantain and Fish spiced with aromatic leaves and sauce.

Being my first time as a Delegate at the Conference with high expectations, I will definitely attend more Conferences to come.

One of the Sessions that attracted the highest number of young minds tagged “Law, Media and Economic Development” was aimed at discussing the impact of the Law and Media on Economic Development while highlighting how Lawyers have contributed to the economy in their utilisation of the Media.

Media, simpliciter, is a platform through which effective communication is done.

Until recently, social media has been tactfully ignored when discussing the media as a tool of economic development.

As a young Lawyer and a Discussant during one of the Parallel Sessions at the Conference, I emphasised more on social media, being an offshoot of the Mainstream Media.

Any IT compliant Legal Practitioner will be in no doubt that when there is low or no connectivity, productivity almost grinds to a halt. Social media is vital not only for its distinguishable contributions to the economic development, but, to our very existence.

Social media is a combination of computer based tools that enable people create content; share same, exchange information, interests and ideas in virtual spaces and networks all from the corner of one’s office cubicle.

According to research figures, 71% of young Lawyers use the internet for career development, 48% for Client development, 45% for education and current awareness, and 24% for Case Investigation.

Some of the older Lawyers perceive social media to be limited to gossip websites or where the latest “Aso-ebi” styles are shown off. There are other forms of social media including legal blogs and Fora for critical analysis of trending legal issues, legal services review and referral. Due to the influx of online traffic, income is generated from paid adverts that are strategically placed on such websites.

At some point during the Conference, #NBAAGC2016 was trending on Twitter and Instagram. Given the virality of those platforms, the desired publicity at no direct costs to the Organisers of the Conference was generated. Potential Sponsors and Collaborators were definitely attracted and it repositioned the visibility of Nigerian Lawyers.

Even though social media does not typically create jobs, it facilitates the process for young lawyers to thrive. 24% of Lawyers have had a Client retain them directly or via referral because of their online networking.

In today’s global landscape, location is crucial and becomes key in competitive advantage. It is impossible for a Lawyer to be physically present everywhere his services are required, location herein means the virtual space where he has his social media presence.

Advocacy for social justice is on a progressive rise. Human rights violations can be reported, protests can be held using hash-tags and mentioning relevant authorities. The recent decry and subsequent suspension of “The Social Media Gag Bill” is a vivid example of the virtual struggle against some self-centered Lawmakers.

It has given the people the much needed voice to air opinions. There has been continuous condemnation of the Niger Delta crisis which is fuelling the ongoing economic recession and destroying its own communities.

Economic development is human development. Social media promotes literacy and education among lawyers. Continuing Legal Education is one of the cardinal points upon which the legal profession is founded. One could be drinking Garri and at the same time receiving career focused lectures in any part of the world. Economic development is access to education and how well rounded such level of education is.

The most valuable asset of any lawyer is his time. Productive time that could be wasted in traffic congestion could be used to peruse important documents in the ‘owner’s corner’ of comfortable vehicles. By the click of buttons, one could request for a door step taxi pickup and/or even share the ride thereby sharing expenses.

Social media is a digital gold mine for lawyers. There are new and evolving areas of legal specialisation every fortnight ranging from: liability incurred by a third party user on a website, infringement of “Selfie” (Image) use, defamatory content(s) from a Tweet, aggravated Internet assault, unauthorised collection of personal information, deceptive advertising, dismissal for Facebook remarks, to, who benefits more and ownership of content on Social media: Users that create or Corporations that own and host?

In conclusion, since Social media ranks higher in frequency, accessibility, usability, immediacy (instant response to and from Clients) and its capability to reach a global audience, every Legal Practitioner is advised to have at least a medium, most importantly, a website; which should contain the following: • Firm contact information

•Lawyers’ profiles • Lawyers’ articles/Presentation

• Press Releases/ Newsletter

• Links to Firm’s social media profiles

• Self-help Legal guides

• Client intake form

• Real-time communication tools Babatope is an Abuja based lawyer and one of the speakers at the NBA Lawyers in the Media Forum at the AGC.