Senate President Bukola Saraki has been confirmed as the keynote speaker at the opening ceremony of the 2017 annual Business Law Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Business Law (NBA-SBL) holding at Eko Hotel & Suites in Lagos today.
The two-and-a-half-day conference which spans June 18-20 is themed ‘Law and the Changing Face of Legal Practice’ and will take an introspective look into the changing face of the legal profession and how Nigerian lawyers are preparing for the challenges ahead.
“We are excited at the prospect of another conference back in Lagos. We are also excited at the issues we have to deal with at this conference,” said Olumide Akpata, chairman, NBA-SBL, at a press briefing to announce the conference.
“We are looking inwards this year, we are looking at issues that relate directly to the practice of law and lawyers themselves,” he said.
Olubunmi Fayokun, chairman, 2017 Conference Planning Committee, said this year’s conference, the 11th edition, would seek to address the global evolution of legal practice, the future of the profession, innovative trends and the impact of disruptive technology on the practice of law.
“The legal profession is changing, the world is changing. If we don’t prepare ourselves and adapt, we would be left behind,” she said.
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The conference, Fayokun said, would feature nine sessions with sub-themes that include ‘Redefining the Provision of Cross-Border Legal Services: Globalising Your Practice’, ‘Technology, Innovation and the Law Firm of the Future’, ‘Developing Skills and Capacity: Redefining the Architecture’, ‘The Future of Legal Practice – Are You Ready?’, ‘Creating an Efficient System of Justice Delivery’, ‘Legal Services Procurement – What Do Clients Really Want?’, ‘Dead Lawyers Don’t Work – Embracing a Lifestyle of Health and Wellness’, and ‘The Changing Face of the Entertainment Industry – Prospects and Opportunities’.
“There will also be a Corporate Counsels’ session, which will provide an opportunity for legal practitioners to network with general counsel and other in-house counsel,” she said.
High-powered resource persons have also been assembled as speakers, chairpersons and panellists at the sessions to ensure very enriching discussions and outcomes, Fayokun said.
These include, among others, Asue Ighodalo, immediate past chairman of NBA-SBL and founding partner, Banwo & Ighodalo, Gbenga Oyebode, chairman, Aluko & Oyebode, Ingo Herbert, Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany, Gerry Riskin, founding principal/chairman, Edge International, John Edokpolo, legal counsel, Microsoft West, East & Southern Africa, George Etomi, principal partner, George Etomi & Partners, Jay Krishna, professor of Law, Indiana University, Nankunda Katangaza, co-founder, Hook Tangaza, Dotun Sulaiman, chairman, Financial Reporting Council Nigeria, Seun Abimbola, Attorney-General of Oyo State, and Leo Stan Ekeh, MD, Zinox.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State government has thrown the weight of its support behind the SBL for this year’s conference.
The NBA-SBL, a special arm of the Nigerian Bar Association which engenders the development of commercial law and specialised commercial law practice in Nigeria, uses its annual conference to seek to create an environment for business lawyers within and outside Nigeria to network and engage on issues relevant to their fields and to establish a thriving relationship between the business community and government institutions.
