The Uganda Law Society (ULS) says it will continue pushing the digital agenda to modernise Uganda’s legal profession by bridging traditional practice with emerging technology.
ULS Vice President Anthony Asiimwe said much has changed with adoption of paperless justice systems, use of AI, legal automation and ethical workflows, and through TechFest, lawyers and citizens will close the digital gap.
He was speaking at the launch of the second TechFest at the New Bar Offices in Kamwokya on September 10, an initiative aimed at accelerating technology adoption in the legal profession while promoting locally relevant digital solutions.
“Technology has reshaped everything, so all legal practitioners should adopt to digital technology,” Asiimwe said.
He pointed to the Electronic Court Case Management Information System (ECCMIS) as an example of how technology is transforming justice.
“We realised as a legal sector we have to use digital; even that’s why ECCMIS is used. The future of the legal profession now is technology,” he said.
The Chairman of the Law Tech Festival and Managing Partner at Diamond Advocates, Tony Galandi Kiire, said the event had been rebranded to better reflect its focus on the legal profession and the growing need for lawyers to embrace technology.
“There was need to rebrand because some of our clients are also lawyers,” Kiire said.
He added that this year’s initiative was designed to address reliance on technology developed outside the African context.
“Most of the tools used now are foreign yet we are in an African setting which gives a challenge when administering justice,” he said.
He said the festival will build on the inaugural edition to create a platform where practitioners explore emerging technologies and their application.
The main festival will be held in Munyonyo on September 17 and 18, after regional events on September 14 at LDC Mbarara, September 15 in Gulu and September 16 in Mbale.
The regional events will serve as build-up to the main festival, bringing together lawyers and stakeholders to discuss digital transformation and the future of legal practice in Uganda.