Ugandan lawyers have been urged to leverage technology as a means to tackle systematic challenges in the legal industry.
This advice was given during as Roke Telkom and Innovation Village partnered with the Uganda Law Society for the LegalTech Expo at Motiv in Kampala, the expo under the theme, “LegalTech Expo; Breaking Barriers in the Digitalization of the Legal Industry.”
Highlighting the importance of digitalization to the legal industry, James Byaruhanga, the Chief Commercial Officer at Roke Telkom, pointed out how technology could easily enhance service delivery, improve access to justice and build greater public trust.
“The expo represents a significant step towards a more modern, efficient, and accessible legal system. By embracing digitalization, the legal industry can enhance its service delivery, improve access to justice, and build greater public trust,” Byaruhanga said.
“As partners in this innovation drive, we are committed to leading this change and supporting the legal community in navigating the digital era.”
Hellen Mukasa, the LegalTech Lab Lead at Innovation Village while speaking at the event explained how they can enhance the adoption of digital technologies in the legal industry.
“Through the LegalTech Lab, we focus on enhancing the adoption of digital technologies in the legal industry by supporting innovators to design solutions that solve the most pressing problems of the industry, such as access to justice, information, and legal service delivery intended to yield rich customer experience journeys and build public confidence and trust in the justice system,” Mukasa explained.
“We have designed the expo to provide a platform to showcase a range of innovative solutions aimed at modernizing legal practices. We will feature panel discussions with industry experts, legal practitioners, and innovators to share practical aspects of digital transformation in law, offering insights on overcoming resistance to change, ensuring data security and privacy, and fostering a culture of innovation within legal institutions.”
Although he acknowledged that there are still challenges in the legal industry when it comes to practising digitalization, Bernard Oundo, President of the Uganda Law Society, said that the legal system has slowly adopted to some of the various technology innovations like; video conferencing for court hearings, e-case filings, digital exhibits and evidence presentation which are used during legal processes.
“Technology has the potential to transform and improve the entire legal system. If well leveraged, digital tools can enable law institutions to optimize and refocus their business processes, improve service delivery to users, protect individual human rights, and democratize access to justice.”
While the digitalization of the justice system has begun, unifying legal institutions, practitioners, and the entire justice system in the digital era is a complex, monumental, and ongoing challenge that requires collaboration and coordination among all stakeholders.
With joint forces combined, these efforts can help bridge the digital divide and ensure a more efficient, accessible, and just legal system for all.
