The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has issued a statement on the challenges being faced by some members of the Association on their inability to make use of their LegalMails.

This is contained in a statement signed by Mr. Akorede Habeeb Lawal, NBA Assistant Publicity Secretary and which was made available to TheNigeriaLawyer.

It was noted that the LegalMail initiative is from the Supreme Court of Nigeria and not NBA and therefore, the Association is incapable of resolving the challenges being faced.

However, it was noted that upon consultation with the Legal Mail team, it was discovered that the result of the inaccessibility is sequel to the non usage of the account by its members.

In this light, the NBA in conjunction with the Legal Mail team has resolved to attend to complaints within 24 hours and complaints are to be sent to: support@nigerianbar.ng.

It would be recalled that the National Judicial Council had earlier on brought the Legal Mail initiative in a bid to ensure communication of correspondences and notices between lawyers on the one hand and the Court to lawyers on another.

The full statement reads:

HAVING TROUBLES WITH YOUR LEGAL EMAIL? WHAT TO DO

COMPLAINTS

1. In the past few days, we have received complaints from many of our members bordering on their inability to access or make use of their legalmail accounts.

NBA DOES NOT MANAGE LEGAL EMAIL

2. It has to be mentioned that the Nigerian Bar Association is not responsible for the management of the legalmail. legalmail is an initiative of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. As such, our ICT Department cannot address most of the concerns raised by our members.

REASON FOR THE CHALLENGE WITH LEGAL EMAIL

3. We however checked with the legalmail team to know the cause of these issues. The response is that : The legalmail has an automated system that deactivates accounts which are infrequently used for a prolonged period of time. Not logging into the legalmail and mere receiving of emails without sending emails from the legalmail have been described as the most patent indications of infrequent use by account owners.

SOLUTION

4. While members are encouraged to optimally and regularly utilize their legalmail to avoid deactivation of same, we have secured the committment of the legalmail team to address within 24 hours any complaint members may have in this regard. Complaints should simply be sent to support@nigerianbar.ng

UPCOMING WEBINAR ON LEGAL EMAIL

5. The legalmail team shall be holding in collaboration with the NBA a webinar on the workings of the legalmail in July, 2020. Members are urged to be on the look out for same.

FAQS

6. For further information or questions about the legalmail, attached to this are the frequently asked questions and answers in respect of legalmail.

Thank you.

Akorede Habeeb Lawal
Assistant Publicity Secretary, NBA

Introduction

The Nigerian judiciary has taken a giant stride in providing a simple, fast and efficient communication means between lawyers and the courts. The Judiciary, under the auspices of National Judicial Council, initiated a campaign to design case management software for our courts and a legal mail for all lawyers in Nigeria.

Lawyers are required to obtain the Legal Mail to facilitate communication and correspondence with courts. As of the 16th July, 2018, it became mandatory. The Supreme Court will only serve Processes by electronic means (Legal Mail) on all matters. Hence, all new filings as from 16th July 2018, must bear Counsel’s legal email address.

See more information at the LegalMail home page: http://www.nigerianbar.ng

This email registration platform it for verified lawyers only, Unverified lawyers must ensure that they are verified with the Nigerian Bar Association before undertaking this process otherwise access will be denied.

FAQs

1) What is Legal Mail all about? It’s an email platform for communications, correspondences and notices between lawyer to lawyer and court to the lawyer. Visit http://www.nigerianbar.org.ng/index.php/legal-mail for more details.

2) How do I enroll for Legal Mail? Visit http://legalmail.nigerianbar.ng/ to start a self-registration process.

3) How do I get my Legalmail address? Kindly send your complain to support@nigerianbar.ng along with your details.

4) How do I get access to my Legalmail box? Visit http://mail.nigerianbar.ng and type in your details

5) How do I get support on LegalMail issues? For all issues related to LegalMail contact 09084445444, support@nigerianbar.ng

6) What types of lawyers are qualified for Legal Mail? All NBA verified lawyers

7) What if the application said I am not verified? If you have been verified and still cannot proceed, please send a mail to support@nigerianbar.ng.

8) How do I reset my password? Visit www.nigerianbar.ng and click the “forgot password” button to start the reset process.

9) How do I check my email? Visit http://mail.nigerianbar.ng and login with your email address (youremail@nigerianbar.ng)

10) How long does it take to complete the legal Mail request process? 1 – 7 working days

11) What time can I call for support service? 09:00 am – 04:30pm Monday – Friday – 09084445444, 07039546373

12) Can I use my Legal Mail to send other mails? Yes, see email use policy

13) Does The Supreme Court of Nigeria or any other organization have access to my mails? No

14) Can I have multiple Legal Mail accounts? No

15) What other platforms can I access my email on? Mobile devices (Android, IOS, Windows), Microsoft Outlook and Outlook for Mac Desktop Application

16) What makes it different from any other email? Professionally, the Legal Email address (yourname@nigerianbar.ng) provides for uniformity and uniqueness in communication with other lawyers, Courts, professional bodies, embassies and other stakeholders. The legal mail also has the unique feature of the ability to provide proof of service for designated communications. The email accounts are designed with unique features, they are free from advertisements, taglines or pop-ups, therefore, containing less risk of spam and comes with a 50GB mailbox size.

17) What is proof of services? Proof of services is a feature that is only unique to the LegalMail platform, where a delivery acknowledgment is preserved for communications between court to Lawyers regarding services of notices and other matters, where an SMS is also delivered to the recipient to notify them of such correspondences.

18) What next after I activate my legal Mail? Within 24 hours of activation, you should receive an email welcoming you to the legal mail platform with your Temporary Password and a guide on how to change your temporary password and sign in your email account. Ensure to log on as more and more correspondences are sent to lawyers through their legal email.

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