From jargon to Justice 2.0

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He wears an oversized black suit that hangs off his tall and slim frame.

His bag, hanging on his side, carries all his bulky paperwork - like contracts and affidavits.

Then every morning, he's off to meet his clients in court, at their homes, or under the big tree that doubles as his secret office.

Barrister Layi Wasabi from Nigeria is your classic village lawyer.

But the real fun is in the cases he handles:

• Land buyers who get scammed

• Landlords stuck with tenants who aren't paying rent and won't leave

• And couples who file for divorce, change their minds and drag him into their family drama

On the streets, everyone calls him “The Law”.

But Layi is not a practising lawyer.

He’s a social media comedian and actor, and his real name is Isaac Olayiwola.

"The Law" is a character he created for his skits on TikTok and Instagram.

And videos, poking fun at traditional lawyers, have gained him millions of followers.

But most of his fans don’t know that ‘Layi Wasabi’ actually studied law at university.

After watching plenty of Nigerian lawyers in legal action, his videos about how they operate are not far-fetched.

A painfully traditional profession

Law, despite the weight it carries, appears uptight and traditional.

Everything about it feels traditional, from jargon to robes and wigs to physical processes with bulky paperwork.

All of this makes it hard for people to access legal help.

And it creates a big gap between lawyers and clients.

Plus, client meetings and court sessions often happen in person.

One person shared, "Every time you go to court, if something goes wrong with the judges or the process, you only find out when you’re there. Then they tell you to come back another day."

All the paperwork and time dealing with the court make legal costs skyrocket.

In Nigeria, it’s common for people to give up on their cases because they can’t find a good lawyer or they can’t afford one.

In 2019, Engineer Mohammed Dahiru, a landlord, tried to recover his Abuja property from a tenant.

He spent ₦2 million (about $1,400) in legal fees with no progress, unable to evict the tenant or collect rent.

So is there a different world where lawyers are accessible and affordable?

Turns out there is.

Now, as tech shakes up traditional industries in Africa, even lawyers like Layi Wasabi are catching up.

In 2020, despite some pushback, Nigeria’s Supreme Court gave the green light to virtual court sessions.

Lawyers and their clients can attend sessions online for less serious cases.

But that was just the beginning — tech is transforming law across Africa.

Now, lawyers are teaming up with coders and founders, bringing their legal smarts to the tech world.

Let's dig into two of those startups in Nigeria and South Africa.

1. Helping businesses follow the law

Before working in trade for the Nigerian government, Tola Onayemi spent his early career in corporate law.

He was helping companies, including tech startups, with compliance.

In 2019, after switching to trade, he helped Nigeria negotiate the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).

The agreement would make Africa one big market.

After a few months, African founders met to brainstorm how to exploit this new opportunity.

And Tola had trade, tech, and law rolling off his tongue.

He ended up answering tons of questions from founders wanting to grow beyond their home market., but clueless about compliance.

Then in late 2020, the pandemic slowed down, and borders opened up.

Founders hit the gas on growth.

And again, they reached out to Tola about taxes, licenses, and tech laws across African markets.

He turned that demand into a startup idea, and with this tweet, launched Norebase.

He tapped Temitope Obanla, his co-founder, and they launched Norebase.

Norebase handles the compliance needs of startups launching into new markets.

Businesses can easily access legal experts who know the local regulations for their new markets, even if they change.

And in Africa, regulations can change in a flash.

Nigeria went from banning crypto in 2021 to allowing it in 2023. Then a few months later, banning Naira-based crypto transactions.

2. Justice for crime victims in South Africa

South Africa has one of the highest crime rates in the world.

Murder rates are at a 20-year high, with someone being killed roughly every 20 minutes.

With these stats, courts and lawyers need to step up to help victims get the justice they deserve.

But, like anywhere, legal fees can add up quickly, especially if you need a good lawyer.

Keitumetse Pule, a law graduate from Wits University in South Africa, understands this well.

She grew up around social injustices. And it inspired her to become a lawyer.

But she still felt that access was limited and many South Africans didn’t fully understand how the justice system worked.

In September 2022, she co-founded Legal Standpoint, a legal tech startup that helps South Africans understand the law and access legal services more quickly.

By August of last year, just a year after launching, the app had over 1,500 users and 14 verified lawyers, though hundreds had signed up.

Keitumetse says the biggest hurdle has been getting lawyers to warm up to the tech and see the benefits to them and their clients.

But that attitude is starting to change.

Traditionally, law feels very uptight and stagnant.

While rebooting the whole system is a long shot, it's happening on an individual level.

And lawyers, like Tola Onayemi are bringing their legal smarts to a world of coders and founders.

But there's still more space.

There’s opportunity for more lawyers in areas like data privacy, IP protection, and startup compliance.

And we're betting on more lawyers jumping in, and more legal-tech startups coming up.

What could be the impact of legal tech in Africa? Hit reply and let us know.

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