The increasing importance of information literacy in various disciplines in the educational sector has prompted further research as to how the concept can be translated to the workplace
environment. Studies in workplace information literacy have provided the opportunity for advancing knowledge and skills in various professional practices and developing curricula programmes that are relevant to such professions.
This study explored current reforms and developments at the Nigerian Law School. Some of the changes that have been made and implemented include an overhaul of its teaching methods to include a critical and analytical attitude into legal research. Changes to the course modules have also been made to accommodate such skills as communication skills, analytical skills, legal writing, legal research, ICT and other clinical methods. The mode of application and registration for the programme, method of course delivery and assessment and conduct of examination practices which hitherto were not online have also been modified. According to NULAI, this effort is considered transformative in its fifty years of existence (2006: 6).
Analysis of the policy document outlining the reforms shows that the changes were necessitated by the need to renew professionalism in legal practice by inculcating transferable skills to the workplace through the legal education system. However, it is noted that the document failed to recognise the value of information literacy as a conceptual framework within which the reforms could be implemented especially with respect to skills inculcation. Information literacy assumes great importance in the practice of law and has become more compelling particularly in the workplace where changes in information technology require the ability to be more flexible and proficient in achieving productivity (Macoustra, 2004: 131).
The efforts to develop competence in legal practice in aspirant barristers by the Nigerian Law School through clinical legal education must take into consideration the prospects and goals for transferability. This is because legal practice in itself requires situational adaptation and creative problem-solving in order to have a conceptual understanding of the general principles underlying different skills and practices (Binder & Bergman, 2003: 198-199). According to Bransford, Brown and Cocking (2000: 17), research into learning has shown that organising information into a conceptual framework allows for greater or “far” transfer in the sense that it helps the learner to apply what is learnt to a new situation. Binder and Bergman (2003: 199) further explain that conceptual frameworks help to produce “meta-cognition” which enables learners to become more aware of their learning strategies and to learn from professional experiences.
Hence by adopting information literacy as a conceptual framework, the Nigerian Law School can help facilitate the design of a teaching model in clinical legal education that could influence the
structure of professional skills training in Nigerian universities that is unique to the context of legal practice in Nigeria.
Among the key components of the reforms being undertaken by the Nigerian Law School is the introduction of an evaluative process by which further recommendations and modifications can be made to the reforms (Grimes, 2009: The future and lessons). Hence by examining the case in- depth, the potential of this study to influence policy decisions is considerable. This is especially so with regard to issues of information literacy instruction as a key aspect of legal education in Nigeria, providing useful comparative insights into the trends and demands of information literacy in the legal workplace in Nigeria.
Secondly, the study also highlighted issues regarding recent changes in the tools used to compile legal resources in Nigeria. Within the past few years, the legal information landscape has
witnessed a considerable level of transformation especially with regard to the processes of information seeking, information use and the application of legal research skills to the workplace context. These changes have been characterised by an increase in the growth of legal publishers who have been actively involved in developing electronic databases of local content that reflect Nigeria’s legal system such as the Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, Judgments of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Law Reports of the Courts of Nigeria, and so on. Examples of such publishers include the International Centre for Nigerian Law (ICFNL), MIJ publishers, Spectrum books, Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS), Nigerian Law Publications, and so on.
The changes have been attributed to an international move towards the increasing use of legal electronic resources and an increasing diversity of the field of legal practice and means of communicating and disseminating legal information (Dina, Akintayo & Ekundayo, 2005: Legal publishers). These developments have contributed to the changes in the composition and format of legal materials in the country which hitherto were mostly of printed form, and re-defined
“traditional” methods of legal research and practice in Nigeria. This study is therefore timely in the light of these developments, as it sought to investigate the challenges, effects and gaps created by these changes as they relate to the educationally acquired skills of law graduates within the context of an electronically enhanced workplace environment. The study provided an opportunity to assess the impact of these changes and at the same time make contributions as to
how the concept of legal information literacy can provide a suitable platform for developing a legal information literacy paradigm for Nigeria.
The challenge to undertake this study was necessitated by the need to further investigate the transfer of information literacy skills from formal legal education to the workplace in Nigeria.
Having completed an exploratory study at Masters level, it was considered that the topic could benefit from deeper exploration informed by the research so far undertaken. From the findings of the study, an information literacy model was designed for the restructured legal education
programme of the Nigerian Law School for the purpose of enhancing legal education and practice in Nigeria.