The Chairman of the Nigerian Law Reform Commission, Dakas C. J. Dakas, has issued a stark warning to young lawyers: experience alone is no longer enough to survive in the rapidly evolving legal profession.
Speaking at the 11th annual professional mentoring programme organised by J-K Gadzama LLP, Dakas told aspiring legal practitioners that only those who deliberately develop deep expertise will remain relevant in an era increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence and technological disruption.
“Experience is the starting point, not the destination,” he said. “Many professionals have years of practice without corresponding depth. But markets reward rarity. Expertise brings leverage.”
The training programme—held in honour of former Supreme Court justice Chukwudi Oputa, widely known as the “Socrates of the Supreme Court”—brought together senior lawyers and young practitioners for discussions on mentorship, professional development, and the future of legal practice.
A Warning in the Age of AI
Dakas said the global rise of artificial intelligence is already transforming the legal landscape, threatening routine legal work traditionally handled by general practitioners.
While technology can process vast amounts of information and replicate patterns, he argued, it cannot replace the human insight, ethical judgment, and contextual reasoning that define true expertise.
“AI can simulate experience,” he said. “But it cannot fully embody the depth of insight, intuition, and moral judgment that distinguish genuine mastery.”
The implication, he warned, is that lawyers who fail to build specialized knowledge risk becoming professionally obsolete.
“Non-experts have every reason to be apprehensive,” Dakas said. “But experts will remain secure because mastery is rare and difficult to replace.”
Law Beyond the Courtroom
Dakas also challenged young lawyers to rethink the traditional boundaries of legal practice, emphasizing that the law now intersects with emerging industries such as artificial intelligence, medicine, entertainment, and technology.
“The law is not confined to the courtroom,” he said. “It is a living stream flowing through every sphere of human activity.”
He urged young practitioners to identify specific problems they want to solve and build specialised expertise around those interests.
“Experts carve out niches,” he added. “And those niches often become the foundation of remarkable careers.”
The Power of Mentorship
A central theme of the address was mentorship, which Dakas described as the engine that accelerates professional excellence.
Reflecting on his own career journey, the senior advocate recounted how a university professor recognised his academic potential early and personally mentored him.
That encouragement, he said, helped transform the son of a village farmer into one of the country’s leading constitutional scholars.
“We rise by lifting others,” Dakas said. “True success is never a solitary climb.”
Mentorship, he argued, is especially important in a profession where concerns are growing about the number of new lawyers entering the field each year.
Without guidance, he warned, many young practitioners risk drifting through legal practice without building the depth required for long-term success.
Why Expertise Matters
In his address, Dakas outlined several reasons why expertise is indispensable in the legal profession, including improved advocacy, stronger credibility, and greater professional opportunities.
Lawyers with deep mastery of a particular field, he said, are more likely to handle complex matters, command higher fees, influence legal policy, and shape the evolution of the law itself.
“Experts become mentors and multipliers,” he said. “They build institutions and inspire the next generation.”
A Life-Changing Example
Dakas illustrated the real-world impact of expertise with a personal story from 2011, when an American lawyer contacted him after reading his research on discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria.
The attorney sought Dakas’ expert opinion for a Nigerian woman seeking asylum in the United States.
His legal declaration—based on years of scholarship—became a key piece of evidence in the case.
Weeks later, the woman was granted asylum.
“Because of your help,” the lawyer wrote to him, “her life has changed.”
For Dakas, the moment underscored a lesson he believes every young lawyer should understand.
“Expertise does more than build careers,” he said. “It changes lives.”
Click here for the full presentation here.
Keynote-by-Prof-Dakas
