Guidelines for the Use of Artificial Intelligence in the Legal Profession in Nigeria
Nigerian Bar Association — Section on Legal Practice, Technology and Law Committee
last revised 2024-08-28last verified 2026-09-042 versionscountry page →
country page →GuidanceIn forceVerification dutyConfidentialityCompetenceSupervisionClient consentDisclosure
map categories:Bar guidance on generative AIDuty to verify AI outputClient data in AI toolsTechnological competenceSupervision of AI workClient consent and transparencyVendor due diligence
Nigeria's only profession-specific AI guidance. Issued by the NBA Section on Legal Practice on 28 August 2024, it treats AI as augmentative, insists on human oversight, and sets expectations on confidentiality, competence, critical review of outputs, client transparency and consent, supervision of staff, vendor selection and NDPA 2023 compliance. Non-binding.
- Applies to
- lawyers, firms
- Effective
- See version history
- Current version
- As launched · 28 Aug 2024
- Last verified
- 04 Sept 2026
What the document requires
- Section 7.1: outputs generated by AI tools must be thoroughly reviewed before reliance in client work, verifying factual accuracy, legal soundness and potential biases.
- Section 7.1: client information, including queries and uploaded documents, should never be used with generative-AI tools lacking robust security and confidentiality protocols.
- Section 7.1: lawyers should disclose use of generative-AI tools to clients and obtain informed consent before proceeding.
- Section 7.1: lawyers remain responsible for subordinates' work and should supervise junior lawyers and staff using generative AI.
- Section 7.2: prohibits overreliance and uninformed use — AI must not replace professional judgment, and lawyers remain ultimately responsible for client matters.
- Sections 6.1 and 10.2: criteria for selecting AI tools and contractual agreements with developers, including data-protection agreements; Appendix B provides an AI impact assessment checklist.
Version history
| Version | Date | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| As launchedcurrent | 2024-08-28 | Launched at the NBA-SLP Annual General Meeting alongside IT implementation, privacy and cybersecurity guidance. | official |
| Circulated text (watermarked DRAFT), 34pp | 2024-11-09 | Archived copy of the PDF formerly hosted at nbaslp.org; the live URL no longer resolves after a site rebuild. | official |
Sources
Cite this record
SafeLegalAI Legal AI Regulation Tracker, "Guidelines for the Use of Artificial Intelligence in the Legal Profession in Nigeria" (Nigerian Bar Association — Section on Legal Practice, Technology and Law Committee, As launched, 2024-08-28), safelegalai.com/regulation/other/ng-nba-slp-ai-guidelines-legal-profession (accessed 2026-09-04). Data: CC BY 4.0.
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