The Nigerian legal profession is collapsing under the pressure of corruption, low ethical standards, and now, the rising influence of artificial intelligence. That’s the strong warning from former Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, who didn’t mince words during the 2025 Law Week Plenary Session of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Yenagoa Branch, held at the Nigerian Content Tower in Bayelsa State. In a blunt assessment of the profession’s current state, Osinbajo declared, “The legal profession is crumbling under the weight of corruption, ethical violations, and poor standings.”
He didn’t stop there. Osinbajo, who is also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), condemned the widespread perception that both lawyers and judges are complicit in corrupt practices. According to him, “Stories of counsel acting as conduits for bribing judicial officers are rife. The perception that our system of justice is corrupt and that both the bar and bench are culpable is damaging enough.”
The former Vice President’s comments reflect growing public concern about how deeply corruption has eaten into the Nigerian legal system, with even the most fundamental pillars of justice now appearing shaky. Osinbajo’s powerful warning that the legal profession is collapsing under corruption and AI threat could not have come at a more urgent time.
AI Threatens Lawyers’ Relevance as Legal Profession Crumbles — Osinbajo
While corruption continues to rot the core of the Nigerian justice system, Osinbajo believes technology, particularly Artificial Intelligence is now dealing the final blow. He warned that AI systems are quickly replacing many of the routine tasks lawyers used to be paid for. From legal research to drafting and even basic reasoning, machines are now doing the job faster, cheaper, and better.
He said, “The systems don’t get tired, don’t go on leave, and do not ask for extra pay. These tools are becoming much cheaper and like mobile phones, they will be available everywhere and to everyone very soon.”
In clear terms, Osinbajo told the legal audience that lawyers must now refocus on what AI cannot do, ethical judgment, client empathy, and deep interpretation. Otherwise, the relevance of human lawyers will continue to shrink. He explained, “Lawyers must now focus on the aspect of legal practice that machines cannot properly do or are not able to replicate yet.”
With technology fast replacing legal analysis and opinion writing, the legal profession is losing its grip on traditional authority. As Osinbajo bluntly put it, “We are no longer the gatekeepers and custodians of basic legal knowledge; that is all gone.”
Legal Profession Is Collapsing Under Corruption and AI
Osinbajo’s address served as both a eulogy and a call to action. He declared that the legal profession must radically reinvent itself to survive. This includes reforming the legal curriculum to integrate cross-disciplinary skills in law, data science, algorithm bias, and design thinking. He also urged legal practitioners to learn how to assess outputs from AI platforms like ChatGPT, stating, “Our profession needs a new vision, a new set of tools in a new era.”
Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, who opened the plenary session, admitted that the AI revolution will lead to job losses, but insisted that it also reflects a dynamic and evolving society. He praised lawyers for their role in protecting democracy and governance, saying, “This is an organ of government that we must all work towards guarding because if the judiciary fails, we will all fail.”
The takeaway is clear: corruption is tearing down the justice system from within, while technology is disrupting it from outside. Unless the Nigerian legal profession urgently embraces reform, retraining, and ethical revival, the collapse may become irreversible.
