NBA Ikeja Backs Digital Estate Planning, Says Lawyers Must Embrace Technology

The Nigerian Bar Association, Ikeja Branch, has encouraged lawyers to embrace technology-driven legal services, describing technological transformation as increasingly unavoidable in modern legal practice.

The position was expressed during the unveiling of Castle eWill & Trust, a digital platform designed to make will preparation, trust creation and estate planning more accessible.

NBA Ikeja Chairman Adeniyi Quadri, represented by Branch General Secretary Ayodeji Olabiwonnu, said resistance to legal technology was gradually diminishing as practitioners recognised its potential to improve productivity rather than simply replace traditional professional services.

Estate planning and family disputes

Co-founder of the platform, Olumide Olaiya, argued that estate planning remains one of the most effective ways of reducing inheritance disputes.

He said many Nigerians acquire homes, businesses and financial assets but postpone decisions on how those assets should be administered after death.

According to him, wills should not be treated as instruments reserved for wealthy or elderly persons.

Rather, individuals with dependants or assets can use estate planning to provide greater certainty and reduce conflict among surviving family members.

The platform reportedly provides options for organising testamentary wishes, exploring wills and trusts, and obtaining guidance on probate-related matters.

Its developers said security measures include data encryption, identity verification and QR-based authentication designed to assist with confirming document authenticity and version history.

Dele Adesina SAN raises security concerns

Former NBA General Secretary and Senior Advocate of Nigeria Dele Adesina, SAN, emphasised the sensitivity of testamentary documents and the need for strict access control.

His intervention highlights one of the central legal questions surrounding digital estate planning.

A will is not merely another electronic document. Its validity can depend on statutory formalities governing execution, witnesses, testamentary capacity and proof.

Technology may simplify aspects of preparation and record management, but digital convenience cannot displace mandatory legal requirements.

Questions concerning secure custody, unauthorised alteration, identity verification and preservation of the final executed instrument therefore remain crucial.

The growing use of digital estate-planning tools could nevertheless create new opportunities for lawyers if technology increases the number of Nigerians who formally organise their estates.

For practitioners, the issue may therefore be less about whether technology will enter succession practice and more about how lawyers ensure that technology operates within existing legal safeguards.