Automated billing solution is new dimension in legal practice —Ajibowo

A legal consultant, Olajide Ajibowo, has stated that the integration of Artificial Intelligence into the Nigerian legal system is the new dimension in legal practice as the Nigerian legal system faces numerous internal and external challenges, which have relegated it to a lower position in global legal rankings.

He stated that “for Nigeria’s legal system and practitioners to regain prominence and compete effectively internationally, they must identify the key issues hindering their growth in this technologically advancing world.

“One critical issue in this context is the automated bill of charges. While some lawyers in Nigeria may not consider it a serious issue, it is important to positively compare with lawyers in advanced legal systems such as the USA and UK.

“The importance of automated bill of charges in a technologically competitive legal environment cannot be overstated. Law firms with numerous clients, including individuals and multinational corporations, readily embrace automated billing,” he said.

He added that this can be helped with the introduction of LegalDigital NG as an automated billing solution platform for legal practitioners to bridge the gap within the global space.

He noted further that clients generally prefer digitally adept lawyers whom they believe will deliver desired results adding that the era of manual or paper-based billing is outdated.

The advantages of automated billing, according to him and the promoters of the platform, “is akin to writing an encyclopedia. Traditional paper billing is prone to loss, untidiness, and fading, making offices cluttered with outdated invoices. The laborious process of manual invoicing drains company resources and leads to dissatisfaction among staff; handling physical invoices manually delays payments and results in slower and less accurate bookkeeping.

“Automated billing does not require MIT-level IT skills to operate successfully; it simply requires correct commands to generate charges. This is what I proudly refer to as the Nigerian colloquial parlance of “Steez and composure,” they said.

Some benefits of automated billing for lawyers and law firms include saving time and money, improving billing accuracy, accelerating cash flow, enabling data-driven decisions, enhancing client-centered experiences, and supporting alternative billing arrangements.

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