Nubianette Blog

Corporate Lawyers seeking to increase their client numbers need to deploy deliberate strategies to ensure that they are well-positioned for the type of work they seek. These 5 Tips should guide you on how to position yourself for more clients in the future. 1. Impress your current clients

The ALT Network continues to build the African legal and tech ecosystem. Our first Lagos summit is particularly timely as Nigeria’s FinTech sector was recently formerly recognised as the African leader in financial sector innovation. The role of law and lawyers in shaping enabling and progressive regulatory frameworks for techpreneurs and the opportunities tech innovation provides for the provision of legal services and access to justice, will be at the heart of the discussions on 19th September. The summit will gather the most innovative minds from the Nigerian legal and technology sectors to discuss impactful topics that can help LegalTech businesses and the wider tech sector evolve into more robust going concerns. We hope for a future that comprises of strong innovators and disruptors.

According to Brian Balfour, startups go through three stages: Traction, Transition, and Growth. The startup’s goals, metrics, channels, focus, team structure etc. evolve and change as a business passes through these three phases. There’s a lot of talk across industries regarding “growth” vs. “traction” and the different tactics that support each. While the term “growth” refers to a positive rate of change, this could be short-term in nature. Traction, on the other hand, refers to sustained growth over time and presents a far greater challenge. Knowing where you are on this track helps you understand what you should be spending your time on. 1. Understanding Traction Almighty traction. Nothing trumps it. Nothing! Not strategy, not beautifully developed growth plans, not Nigerian Jollof rice. Nothing! Traction is king to all. So, what is it exactly?

Nubianette Consulting is a Business Consulting firm in Lagos; we provide Business Development, Research and Marketing Services to the Legal Sector. The use of cutting-edge Technological solutions by global law firms has been identified as a major contributor to increased revenue and client satisfaction. The future is tech-driven and as many Nigerian law firms deploy Tech solutions for various purposes, it is crucial that lawyers acquire knowledge on these innovations that are already affecting how Lawyers sell and deliver legal services. Participants shall benefit from our expert presentations and plenary sessions, which shall explore the latest innovations in Legal Technology and Ethical Data Discovery, Management and Security in Law firms and the Courts. Given that the legal sector is a $500 billion industry, there is a lot of opportunity in the legal technology space. Between the amounts that companies and firms, as well as individuals, spend on legal services, there is room fo...

This s a very crucial question to ask, as the world is now faced with the challenge of curtailing the indiscriminate use and transfer of individual data. The Global Data Protection Regulation affects all who transact with EU citizens and that includes international lawyers/law firms.  Here is a document by NightOwl Discovery  to help your law office better understand and implement the GDPR  https://lnkd.in/dHp8JAa

After realising how important Business Development was to legal businesses around the world, I decided to explore a career here and it has been an eye-opening experience. A key aspect that could affect the expected results here, is the reporting arrangement in a particular law firm. Make sure your business development leader has a solid-line reporting relationship to a powerful partner and a dotted-line relationship to the Chief Operation Officer. Read more to strengthen your business development capacity here >  https://lnkd.in/d5SYmdd The partner in charge of marketing or business development will give that function credibility and authority…They’ll keep the wolves at bay and keep the marketing and business development teams focused on priorities.

Negotiating salary isn’t easy, and it can be especially difficult for women. In general, women are less likely to ask for more money when they are offered a job and more likely to stay in a lower paid job. Reasons vary, but some of it involves being uncomfortable discussing salary and being hesitant to ask for more. The Gender Pay Gap The fact that women earn less than men complicates the salary situation. The only time there isn’t a gender gap between men and women is when you compare single childless men and women. After that, the playing field isn’t even “The data show that women pay a penalty for marrying and having children — even when they never prioritize family over work. The only time the pay gap is 0.0 percent is when we compare single, childless men and women, with the same jobs and experience, who never prioritize the personal over the professional. What this means is that the pay gap is due at least partly to unconscious bias. Even when they have the same jobs as men, a...

mmlafleur.com As hard as it is to sell yourself and your firm, marketing is an activity in today’s legal market that not only must be done, but it must be done effectively and well. Don’t waste your time spinning your wheels and telling yourself you’re marketing by posting a once-in-three-months entry to your blog or sending out a boring newsletter on a topic that has been covered to death. In fact, don’t do any of the following: 1. Attend networking events filled only with lawyers These functions have their place, especially if you are seeking referrals, hoping to gain greater expertise in an area, or are trying to establish better relationships with judges, law professors, and others with J.D.s. But if you are hoping to snag some actual clients, you might want to consider other marketing opportunities.

Canary Legal Partners with Social Media Week Lagos To Produce a free Legal Clinic for ICT Businesses. Take advantage of this off-campus event to share your legal challenges with our team for onsite assistance where necessary.  Register here > http://sched.co/DUXJ   info@canarylegal.com   www.canarylegal.com

The traditionally conservative legal market can be likened by software developers to a juicy ripe fruit, ready for the eating. When it comes to Legal Technology, law firms in Nigeria and many countries around the world had been slow to evolve, mostly due to the need to carry on with the familiar. This is an attempt to assert a continued control over existing processes, but technology doesn't care about that need, as we have experienced an increased level of disruption gripping the legal space in recent years.  According to Wikipedia; Legal technology traditionally referred to the application of technology and software to help law firms with practice management, document storage, billing, accounting and electronic discovery. Since 2011, Legal Tech has evolved to be associated more with technology startups disrupting the practice of law by giving people access to online software that reduces or in some cases eliminates the need to co...

Looking back 30 years, it is obvious that the management of law offices in Nigeria have evolved, everyone wants the image of a High street and sophisticated law office, with a modern building and technology to match but the harsh reality is apparent- Lawyers have Gigantic egos which keep non-legal staff walking on eggshells and making costly mistakes due to the level of pressure placed on them to 'serve'. A Princeton University Study in 2014 , found that Lawyers scored the lowest in warmth and trust, compared to how other professions are perceived by the public. The marketing of any organisation must be all-inclusive, especially when doing business in the very connected age of digital marketing and web presence; law firms can engage with prospects online and offline more easily than ever before. In the case where communication points like a website contact form and front desk phone lines are manned by people unfamiliar with the law firms brand philosophy and services, ...

Last week, I was invited to speak at a meetup tagged 'Cyber Security and the Law'; this was facilitated by Legal Hackers in Nigeria (Imo Chapter), headed by Mr Olumba C. Benjamin and I didn't need to be convinced too much before taking the trip from Lagos to Imo, (as you might have figured out by now) I am very interested in Cybersecurity and ICT as it relates to the legal space. According to their official website;  'Legal Hackers is a global movement of lawyers, policymakers, designers, technologists, and academics who explore and develop creative solutions to some of the most pressing issues at the intersection of law and technology. Through local meetups, hackathons, and workshops, Legal Hackers spot issues and opportunities where technology can improve and inform the practice of law and where law, legal practice, and policy can adapt to rapidly changing technology'. Running a business consultancy which services law firms in Nigeria (Nubiane...

By Ali Afegbua In a chat with Mr Felix Adebayo of First Adsunfix Limited, an ICT expert in Digital Communication Systems (System Design and Implementation, Security and Renewable Energy Systems) he highlighted the problem areas in Nigeria’s navigation towards ICT growth and the challenges in influencing economic prosperity. We touched on many areas and the problems are numerous. Without listing all the challenges Nigeria faces, this write-up looks at the critical issues and how to turn things around for an Industrialised Nigeria, by looking way ahead of our current realities. Mr Adebayo began our chat by commenting on the current state of the countries ICT sector; ‘Looking at the ICT developments recorded in Nigeria over the years, there have been several growth spurts in the number of small businesses in that space which is good for Nigeria’s economic growth. The main challenge is the government’s lack of awareness of how revolutionary the Information Communication Technolog...

We hope you enjoy this piece inspired by the many problems faced by Nigerians (and African alike) by a Lawyer, social influencer and Ex Mr Unverse Nigeria winner Mr Allen Ukwuru. Today, I want to speak to the Nigerian youths, it seems we are too laid back with respect to the affairs of this country, I know it is because we are distracted by our daily struggles to make ends meet and largely by the modern technological artefacts. A good number of us; spend a huge amount of time on social media(s), while losing a sense of the things that truly matter to us. What we must understand is that piloting the affairs of this country has nothing to do with age. In fact, leadership has nothing to do with age; but has everything to do with understanding the issues that this country has and making informed and reasoned decisions without fear or favour.Not to offending any religious sensibility; let me allude to the likes of Joseph, David etc in the Bible, how old were they before becoming r...

By Ali Afegbua One recurring theme that came up a lot at the just concluded NBA-SBL Business Law Conference in Lagos, was the impending disruption to come in the legal services sector. Some law firms are already rising to occasion and implementing new business models, that have enhanced the way they communicate and do business with their clients; adopting a hands-on approach to meeting the client ’ s business needs, brandishing specialised knowledge in unique practice areas, digital marketing proficiency and providing easier access to legal services in cyberspace. The changing face of legal practice isn ’ t a new phenomenon, many countries around the world, especially the USA have gone through variations

Intellectual property is a key aspect of the Information Technology field, and for a lawyer to adequately branch into this area of practice, it is key to understand how the various laws protect these rights. Intellectual property rights are at the foundation of the software industry. The term refers to a range of intangible rights of ownership in an asset such as a software program. Each intellectual property "right" is itself an asset, a slice of the overall ownership pie. The law provides different methods for protecting these rights of ownership based on their type.

Most of the time lawyers struggle to merge the old rules of practice with modern realities, below are tips on how to grow your legal practice by using your existing clients to get more clients, and also establishing your self as an expert in your field. It does seem like a herculean task for many lawyers to attract the big clients and cash the fat cheques. Apart from the Rules of professional conduct in Nigeria, which forbids advertisement (of course the world has moved beyond those rigid rules), many lawyers are unwilling to “market” or perhaps have not realized that marketing and business development are part of

 By: Ali Afegbua This is a follow up to a previous write up on the same topic of modellingin Nigeria , but I shall delve deeper into the law and what we should all know, for breaking such laws and claiming ignorance will not stand as a good defence in court, when prosecuted. Modelling can be defined as the use of human specimens with near perfect proportions for a variety of purposes, as performers and entertainers; the fashion industry has utilised models for centuries and the business of modelling has been one compared to a flesh trade, due to its very nature of seeking out perfect human specimens to display to the world, sometimes showing models in the nude for brand specific marketing of glamour products and cosmetics. Modelling agents around the world today are known for their unquenchable appetites

By; Ali Afegbua This is an original paper prepared by me during my Internship placement at the High Court of Lagos State. The law in Nigeria, is endlessly evolving, some might say that it is blunt and brutal, but it is a fundamental truth that we all need the protection of the law; sadly, the reality in Nigeria is that some people get a better deal than others. The issue of corruption has been

By MaryEllen Tribby  On any given day, most of us dedicate time to our children, spouses, careers, friends, charities, churches, parents, siblings, clients, household activities, and, oh yeah, if there is a little extra time left in the day, ourselves. So why is it that only a select few of us can make it look easy… while so many look like they have been run over by a tractor trailer? The answer is simple.