Ex-NBA President cautions lawyers against overreliance on AI
Former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Joseph Daudu (SAN), has urged legal practitioners across the country to avoid overreliance on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and resist allowing societal stereotypes to shape their professional conduct.
Daudu gave the advice during a send-forth ceremony for the 42nd set of externs from the Nigerian Law School attached to JB Daudu & Co offices in Abuja, Kaduna, and Zaria. The event was part of the JB Daudu & Co Mentorship Development Programme Series, powered by the Rule of Law Development Foundation.
He reminded the young lawyers that the legal profession demands resilience and discipline, noting that while law may be easy to study in university, it is one of the most challenging careers to practise.
“The practice of law is not a tea party,” he said. “As modern-day legal practitioners, essentially of the Gen-Z, be careful not to allow societal stereotypes to determine who you are and how you will practise this age-old profession. Many generations from the medieval ages have successfully practised this profession.”
Daudu emphasised the responsibility lawyers bear toward society, saying, “You carry the burden of ensuring, even at a risk to your personal comfort and safety, that the society you live in is a just and egalitarian society. You are not only a lawyer to the rich elite. You must and are expected to fight for and defend the rights of the poor, underprivileged, and downtrodden in your society.”
Cautioning against overdependence on AI tools, he narrated an example of a lawyer who claimed ChatGPT wrote his brief within 20 minutes.
“When he submitted the brief, it was discovered to his embarrassment that the app had loaded him with hypothetical and/or fake judicial precedents,” Daudu said.
He described such tools as “handmaids of the law,” adding that they “were not and would never be a substitute for the human intelligent quotient.”
According to him, “You cannot take out the humanity in law or tar one’s cases with the brush of artificial intelligence. Every case is different and requires a human touch. Your personal skills and individual discretion in the execution of your client’s instruction is paramount and is the key to maintaining the equilibrium of a successful legal practice.”
He added that financial gain should never be a lawyer’s main motive. “For every professional act you carry out, financial gain is the least important. What is most paramount is the attainment of law, justice, and order in your society,” Daudu said.
On national issues, he commented on the Electoral Act, the proposed amendments, and the constitutional provision for the exercise of the president’s prerogative of mercy.
“While its use has sometimes sparked public debate, the enduring essence of the prerogative of mercy lies in its reminder that justice, though firm, must never be devoid of humanity. Ultimately, the true strength of a legal system is measured not only by its capacity to punish, but also by its ability to forgive, when mercy serves the greater good,” he concluded.
