LawPavilion: Delivering Premier LegalTech Solutions
It is a truism that law reports are at the heart of legal practice in the Common Law Jurisdiction, where Lawyers and Judges rely heavily on decided cases and precedent in litigation. For decades, legal practitioners and judicial officers had to tediously scour through, find and cite authorities from printed law reports and books. But, about 20 years ago, a young, intelligent and energetic Electronic and Electrical Engineer, Ope Olugasa, the Founder and CEO of LawPavilion, saw a huge challenge in the legal industry and took the initiative to address it frontally. Thus, LawPavilion Electronic Law Reports was born, and from humble beginnings the idea has blossomed into a vast outfit and resource engine, which provides numerous legal AI solutions, the deployment of which makes the work of Lawyers and Judges more efficient and accurate, resulting in LawPavilion Products becoming indispensable. Last weekend, Onikepo Braithwaite and Jude Igbanoi caught up with Mr Olugasa and travelled with him on the journey from the humble beginnings of LawPavilion, to the AI Giant that it has become today
You started LawPavilion 20 years ago at a time, when electronic law reporting wasn’t the norm, at least, not in Nigeria. Today, LawPavilion has become so popular with Lawyers and Judges, that it is now even cited at the Supreme Court. Are you a Lawyer? How did you get into Legal AI? Take us through your journey to the top in the past two decades. What have been the highs and lows on this journey?
Let me start by acknowledging that it was purely by the grace of God. I’m not a Lawyer – I studied Electronic and Electrical Engineering, and my background is in software engineering. However, growing up, I’d always had an interest in justice and equity. I was always willing to stand up for the oppressed. This yearning was so strong that during my undergraduate days, I developed a keen interest in law, and took some of my elective courses from the Faculty of Law. I spent some time reading law textbooks – not for exams, just out of personal interest. I had several friends who were law students, and while I was reading for interest, they were researching intensely, combing through indexes and volumes just to extract legal principles. I often wondered why there couldn’t be a less stressful, faster way to conduct legal research.
At the time, I wasn’t thinking about legal technology – I was simply drawn to the structure and reasoning in law. But, later, as I grew professionally in software and systems design, I began to reflect more deeply on how technology could enable justice delivery. That’s when I remembered the challenge I had observed in the law library: the time-consuming nature of legal research, and how that inefficiency could impact the broader justice system.
And, so, I thought – what if we could significantly reduce the time it takes for a Lawyer or Judge to carry out legal research? What if we could take a process that used to take two days and bring it down to five minutes – accurate, reliable, and authoritative? That was the spark that led to our first product: the LawPavilion Electronic Law Report (LPELR), pioneering Nigeria’s electronic law reporting that was not just a digitised content, but, one that could be cited in court just like the print versions.
Of course, at the time, this was between 2005 and 2007, electronic legal research wasn’t the norm in Nigeria. It wasn’t easy at first. Adoption was slow, and we spent years engaging Lawyers and institutions. In fact, I remember our first outing during the NBA Annual General Conference at Ilorin in 2007, some Lawyers made fun of our product, saying that it would never see the light of the day in Nigeria, considering the highly conservative nature of the Legal Industry. We were resolute, and our response was “it’s never a sprint, but a marathon, and we were prepared for the long haul”. We had those very low moments, discouraged by the difficulty of adoption at scale. We suffered series of rejections and disappointments, but, truly, God saw us through. I remember the day I went for a demo- presentation in one of the leading law firms. I was asked to search for “Quiet Enjoyment”, and the search engine could not find any authority. We were tactically ridiculed, and told to come back when we are more serious. We felt so bad and humiliated. That day, I promised my already discouraged colleague that we would so develop the product, that the same law firm would come looking for us. We turned “quiet enjoyment” into one of our yardsticks for evaluating the effectiveness of our search engine, and it worked so well. By the end of that year, the same law firm came looking for us. We never relented, we kept listening to feedback from the industry and kept pushing the boundaries of what was technologically possible. We were determined to give the Nigerian legal industry, the best solution available anywhere in the world. For us, it was a passion of patriotism, not minding what it would cost us. We participated at the International Bar Association (IBA) Conferences, proudly representing Nigeria among the committee of nations, showcasing our products. Our first exhibition at the IBA in Boston, earned us a subscription from the prestigious Harvard Law School that year. We were so excited and more determined to push the boundaries further! We ensured we improved the contents to become the most comprehensive legal database in Nigeria, and since then, we never looked back. It’s a culture of continuous innovation, and consistent improvement. Every year, we must come up with something new and now, Artificial Intelligence is the order of the day.
Our big break came between 2011 and 2012 when the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal subscribed to our solution, validating its relevance. I’m ever grateful to several Justices of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal and High Courts (especially of the FCT, Ogun State and Lagos State) whose names are indelibly marked on the canvas of my mind, but, not sure if they would permit me to mention on the pages of the newspaper. Interestingly, it also showed that the legal market wasn’t opposed to innovation — what they really needed was institutional acceptance. Since then, we’ve grown into a full legal tech company – building research platforms, court workflow systems, and most recently, PrimeGPT: Nigeria’s first indigenous Generative AI (Artificial Intelligence) legal drafting and research platform, launched in 2023.
The highs have been humbling – seeing our work cited before the Supreme Court, earning the trust of institutions, and more importantly, empowering Lawyers and legal professionals to become more efficient and impactful. The lows? Navigating scepticism, infrastructure challenges, and building credibility in a space where we were initially seen as outsiders. For example, we had to invest so much money into the development of secured off-line E-Library, just to circumvent the challenge of low internet penetration in Nigeria at that time. Now, with better and more widespread internet connectivity nationwide, the online version is now more accessible and more acceptable.
But, I believe the beauty of innovation is in listening, learning, and building with the people you serve. And, though I am not a Lawyer, I consider it a privilege to be able to contribute meaningfully to the legal profession and the justice system in Nigeria, through technological innovation.
Kindly give us an overview of the Applications that LawPavilion offers. Your Case Management App seems to be very well received. What is so special about it?
At LawPavilion, we offer a suite of intelligent legal technology applications designed to support legal professionals, courts, and government agencies in delivering justice more efficiently. Our solutions include digital libraries and e-publishing services that simplify access to legal knowledge – LawPavilion Prime and Primsol (the online version); AI-powered legal research assistant PrimsolGPT and PrimeGPT, workflow automation tools for courts, law firms, Ministries of Justice and legal departments (CourtManager and CaseManager).
One key reason our Case Management System, and indeed, all our products, resonate so deeply with the legal industry is that we don’t see ourselves as outsiders looking in; we see ourselves as part of the justice system. That perspective shapes everything we build. We understand the real pain points faced by legal professionals, and our mission is to solve them intuitively, intelligently, and effectively.
Recently, we improved our CaseManager for law firms into more than just a case tracking tool – it’s now a fully integrated solution that combines case management with Organisational Knowledge Management (OKM). This means Lawyers can not only manage their matters and documents efficiently, but also tap into the firm’s collective knowledge and past experiences when handling similar cases. It’s designed to reduce duplication of effort, preserve institutional memory, and enhance the quality of legal research and service delivery within the firm, while maintaining consistency and quality of service.
Our CaseManager MoJ (CMS MoJ) is a tailored case management system specifically designed for Ministries of Justice, to help align their day-to-day operations for institutional performance and excellence. What makes the CMS MoJ truly special, is its ability to centralise and streamline legal and administrative workflows, across various departments and directorates in the Ministry of Justice. CMS MoJ provides real-time oversight, with a specialised dashboard for key decision-makers like the Attorney- General, Permanent Secretary, and Directors, allowing them to track case progress, monitor departmental performance through KPIs, and gain deep visibility into overall Ministry operations. With remote accessibility built in, it empowers legal teams to manage processes on the go, supporting efficiency, accuracy, and transparency.
At LawPavilion, we are consistently driven by our commitment to accelerating access to justice, so innovation isn’t just about building tools; it’s about creating systems that make justice faster, fairer, and more accessible for all. For example, we are currently collaborating with the Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Committee (ACJMC) to enhance full implementation and proper monitoring of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, by unifying previously fragmented systems within Nigeria’s criminal justice process into a cohesive, modern justice ecosystem that delivers timely and fair outcomes, thereby rebuilding public trust in the rule of law.
Through real-time case tracking, centralised data analytics, and seamless collaboration among the criminal justice stakeholders, the ACJMC portal tackles delays, eliminates data inconsistencies, and ensures greater accountability. Most importantly, it protects the rights of all citizens, fully aligning with the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).
What Apps do you have especially for judicial officers? In some jurisdictions there are apps to review judgements to determine that they are correct, while some even use AI to assist judicial officers in writing their judgements. What do you have in this regard?
Yes, we have developed tailored solutions specifically for judicial officers, with the aim of supporting their efficiency, accuracy, and access to relevant legal insights. Two standout innovations in this regard are the Appellate Feedback System for Judges (AFSJ) and our PrimeGPT for Judges.
We developed a version of our AI product, PrimeGPT, trained specifically for Judges. This tool allows judicial officers to upload written submissions from Counsel, and the system helps by summarising the arguments, harmonising the issues for determination raised by the Counsel, suggesting issues for determination to be considered by the Judge, and even proposing legal opinions on each of the issues for determination, supported by relevant authorities and reasons for the suggested opinions. It’s not a replacement for judicial reasoning – far from it. Rather, it’s a decision support tool, that assists Judges in handling complex caseloads with greater efficiency and legal clarity.
The Appellate Feedback System for Judges (AFSJ) is a unique performance and feedback tool, designed to give Judges real-time insights into how their judgements fare on appeal. It tracks and reports whether a lower court’s judgement has been upheld, modified, or overturned at the appellate level. This kind of feedback is not only crucial for continuous judicial improvement, but it also promotes self-awareness and consistency in legal reasoning across court hierarchies. It empowers Judges with data on how their decisions are being reviewed, which is rare in most jurisdictions.
How have your Apps contributed to making law practice more efficient generally?
Our suite of applications has played a central role, in enhancing efficiency across various segments of legal practice. Each solution was thoughtfully developed to address specific challenges faced by Lawyers, Judges, and legal institutions.
Our E-Library, for example, houses not just our electronic law report, but also statutes, subsidiary legislation, court rules, regulations, court forms, and precedents. It enables practitioners to conduct comprehensive legal research in a single environment – quickly, accurately, and without the constraints of physical libraries.
We’ve also deployed the Case Management System which helps streamline the workflow process, ensures coordinated case tracking across departments, and enables seamless document management and performance monitoring – empowering Lawyers to deliver more effectively.
In support of institutional reforms, we developed the LPPC Portal, which has revolutionised the process of applying for the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). The once tedious and paper-heavy process is now digitised and transparent, improving the integrity and efficiency of the SAN conferment process. A very big thanks to the LPPC and of course, the Supreme Court for this innovative feat.
In collaboration with the Nigerian Bar Association, we created a system that allows Lawyers to electronically append their NBA Stamp and Seal directly onto court processes and legal documents from their devices. This has saved considerable time and eliminated the inefficiencies associated with first drafting, printing, physically stamping, and then scanning for e-filing at the court.
PrimeGPT and PrimsolGPT allow Lawyers and Judges to interact with legal material, using intelligent prompts. It goes beyond a keyword search to provide contextual legal guidance, generate arguments, analyse submissions, and even draft opinions backed by legal authorities – reducing research time dramatically. The solution also helps, with drafting of originating applications.
The Organisational Knowledge Management (OKM), an AI-enabled solution that helps law firms capture and reuse institutional memory. Rather than just digitising files, OKM allows users to leverage the firm’s collective experience – past cases, arguments, and outcomes stored in the organisation, thus, learning not just from the law, but from the combined wisdom of their teams.
Do you have any applications for document/contract review or predictive analytics to predict outcomes of cases? Some argue that predictive analytics in Nigerian cases may not be useful or efficient, as we are fraught with a bevy of conflicting judgements on the same subject-matters. Is this true?
At the moment, we don’t offer a standalone app for contract or document review, although our PrimeGPT for Judges already performs some document analysis by reviewing written addresses, summarising key issues, and offering informed, authority-backed opinions. A dedicated contract review solution is currently in development, and will soon be available. It will take the industry by storm. We are already excited by the possibilities it promises. It will help legal practitioners to see what was previously unseen, in order to act in ways that were previously impossible.
As for predictive analytics, while we don’t have a statistical prediction tool yet, our PrimeGPT offers a more context-sensitive alternative. When fed the facts of a case, it can identify likely issues for determination and present how courts have typically resolved similar issues – all while grounding its responses in relevant legal authorities. It’s not prediction in the strict sense, but, it provides Lawyers with a clearer sense of litigation direction, aiding strategy and improving confidence in legal decision-making.
Your company has found its way into the international legal space. You feature at every Conference of the International Bar Association, despite the huge costs. Tell us about the acceptance of LawPavilion in other jurisdictions, and how successfully you have been able to penetrate them?
Yes, we have made deliberate efforts to extend our impact beyond Nigeria, and our consistent presence at the International Bar Association (IBA) Conferences is part of that strategic outreach. While the cost of participating in such global platforms is considerable, we see it as a necessary investment in visibility, credibility, and learning. But, more importantly, it’s an opportunity to promote the Nigeria brand in legal context.
Our reception in other jurisdictions has been encouraging. We’ve had several clients in the UK, Ghana, Gambia, South Africa, etc. What stands out is that, many legal systems, regardless of location, face similar challenges – delayed justice delivery, manual processes, and inefficient research systems. Our solutions, especially our PrimeGPT and enterprise platforms, have generated interest for their practical applicability and our proven track record back home.
We may not yet claim deep penetration across all jurisdictions, but we’ve certainly earned recognition as a serious player in legal innovation. We’ve had pilot conversations and collaborations in parts of Africa, and are exploring opportunities for tailored deployments in Commonwealth countries, particularly where legal systems share a similar foundation.
What is your assessment of the role of AI in Legal Practice and how Nigeria is faring? AI has its benefits, but, some legal practitioners fear that AI could replace the role of Lawyers and render them redundant. Is this fear reasonable or baseless?
The initial reception of AI in Nigeria’s legal sector, was understandably slow. When we first launched our PrimeGPT, there was scepticism, with some suggesting it wouldn’t last. But, by 2024, the conversation had shifted – not about whether to use AI, but which AI to use. Most available models were trained on foreign jurisdictions and general contents, so, when we introduced the ‘Ask a Question’ feature on our PrimeGPT, specifically tailored to Nigerian jurisprudence, it was seen as a timely and much-needed solution.
Concerns about AI replacing Lawyers, are often overstated. A helpful way to understand AI’s place in legal practice is this: AI can perform about 30% of a Lawyer’s work, and do it 100 times faster and better. But, it cannot replace the remaining 70%, which requires human judgement, empathy, advocacy, and ethical reasoning. Smart Lawyers are those who allow AI to handle the 30%, and focus their expertise on the rest. So, it’s not AI that will take Lawyers’ jobs; it’s Lawyers who leverage on AI that will outpace and possibly, replace those who don’t.
More so, at LawPavilion, we’ve seen firsthand how AI is not just supporting Lawyers, but creating entirely new roles. We now have legal professionals working as AI trainers – helping shape how the system interprets and applies Nigerian law. That’s the future: not replacement, but reinvention and rearrangement of roles.
Have you had challenges with plagiarism and hacking? How do you protect your products?
Plagiarism, in our context, is often interpreted as the unauthorised replication or adaptation of our proprietary content, such as our editorial notes, legal summaries, or the structure of our platforms. While we have encountered attempts at imitation, we rely on our continuous innovation, market trust, and legal protections, including copyright, to maintain our lead. Our citation formats are publicly available for legal referencing, and the industry is structured in a way that encourages proper attribution in legal writing.
On the issue of hacking, we take data protection and platform security very seriously. All our solutions are hosted on secure servers, and we adhere to global best practices in cybersecurity to ensure our systems are not breached. Regular audits, encryption protocols, and user authentication processes are part of our security infrastructure.
How can technology, LawPavilion particularly, enhance access to justice for the common man and be useful to him/her? Is it affordable, because some have complained about the high cost of your products. Would you say that is a fair complaint?
At LawPavilion, our vision is to equip the justice system to enable people and businesses achieve their potential. That means we are deeply invested in ensuring that justice is not only available, but accessible – both to the professionals who deliver it, and to the citizens who need it.
When people raise concerns about the cost of our solutions, it’s important to clarify who we’re talking about. For our primary users – Judges, Lawyers, and legal institutions – the value far outweighs the cost. Compared to the resources required to build and maintain a standard physical law library, or the hours spent managing manual processes, our solutions offer a significantly more efficient, scalable, and cost-effective alternative. Even in monetary terms, we’ve ensured our pricing is fair and competitive. To put things in perspective: during a recent visit to East Africa, I discovered that their legal AI models cost nearly five times more than ours – yet, without offering the kind of contextual accuracy and depth that our PrimeGPT provides. So, yes, we can categorically say our pricing is fair, especially for the value it delivers. We also offer flexible plans to suit different user needs, without compromising quality.
For the common man, however, the barrier is often not financial – it is informational. What tends to keep people from justice is not the cost of our tools, but a lack of knowledge about their rights, obligations, and options. That’s why we developed JustEase, a social-legal educational mobile app where users can learn the law in simple terms, connect with Lawyers, and report rights violations to the appropriate agencies. The app is free to download on the Play Store, and it’s our way of making sure that justice starts with awareness and is accessible to every Nigerian, not just the elite.
What, in your view, is the Future of Legal Tech in Africa and the role LawPavilion hopes to play?
The future of Legal Tech in Africa, is incredibly promising. With increasing internet penetration, a growing middle class, and a rising demand for efficiency, technology will transform the legal landscape. Legal Tech solutions will help address longstanding issues like access to justice, delayed case resolutions, and the high cost of legal services, making the justice system more transparent and accessible. This will help foster adherence to rule of law. The end result of this is an egalitarian society, with economic emancipation and enhanced ease of doing business.
At LawPavilion, our role is clear – we aim to remain at the forefront of innovation, building context-aware solutions that speak directly to Africa’s legal realities. From AI-powered research tools to justice access platforms for citizens and smart contracts, we are not just shaping the future – we are building it, with Africa in mind.
Thank you.
