Chief Executive Officer of Margins ID Group, Moses Baiden, has called on Ghanaian legal practitioners to embrace artificial intelligence (AI), warning that the technology is set to reshape legal practice, judicial administration and access to justice over the coming decades.
Speaking at the 2026/2027 Ghana Bar Association Annual Conference, Mr. Baiden said the legal profession must proactively prepare for the sweeping changes that AI and other emerging technologies will bring to the sector.
The conference is being held under the theme, “150 Years of Ghana’s Legal Evolution: Transforming the Profession and Driving Its Future with Industry.”
Delivering a keynote address titled “From Quill to Algorithm: 150 Years of Ghana’s Legal Evolution and the Future of the Ghanaian Lawyer,” Mr. Baiden noted that the pace of technological advancement over the next 20 years could exceed the transformation witnessed during the previous century.
According to him, the milestone celebration of Ghana’s legal evolution should serve not only as a reflection on the profession’s rich history but also as a deliberate effort to prepare for the future.
He observed that AI is already transforming how lawyers conduct legal research, review documents, analyse contracts, prepare arguments and manage information. Despite these advancements, he stressed that technology cannot replace the professional judgment, accountability and ethical obligations of lawyers.
“Artificial intelligence may become an exceptionally fast junior associate, but it will not bear professional responsibility,” Mr. Baiden said.
He urged lawyers to exercise caution when using AI tools by supervising, testing and verifying AI-generated outputs before relying on them in professional practice.
Mr. Baiden outlined four key implications of AI for the legal profession. These include changes to the day-to-day work of lawyers, the transformation of clients and legal institutions, the emergence of new skills requirements, and the continued role of lawyers as guardians of the law, human rights and public trust.
He argued that a critical challenge for legal practitioners in the AI era would be determining the reliability of information generated by technology.
“The central question will increasingly shift from ‘Can I find the answer?’ to ‘Can I trust this answer?’” he stated.
Mr. Baiden also called on courts, regulators and legal education institutions to modernise their systems and curricula to accommodate digital evidence, emerging technologies and evolving models of legal practice.
He noted that technology could significantly expand access to justice by making legal information and services more readily available to farmers, traders, small businesses and underserved communities across the country.
However, he cautioned that efforts to digitise legal services must be carefully managed to avoid widening existing inequalities.
The Margins ID Group CEO further encouraged Ghana to invest in the development of home-grown legal technology solutions rather than relying solely on imported systems.
According to him, technologies developed outside the country may not adequately reflect Ghana’s legal framework, local languages, business practices and institutional realities.
He maintained that the lawyer of the future would need to combine multiple competencies, including those of a jurist, technologist, strategist, advocate, lifelong learner and defender of rights.
Reflecting on the evolution of the profession, Mr. Baiden noted that legal practice has transitioned from the use of quills, typewriters and physical libraries to computers, email, cloud platforms and artificial intelligence.
“The quill disappeared. The lawyer remained,” he said, adding that while the algorithm is the next major tool in that evolution, it does not alter the profession’s fundamental responsibility to serve law, justice and humanity.
Source: businesspostonline
