Chapter 10

Perspectives on Legal Education and the

Role of Information Literacy in Improving

Qualitative Legal Practice

Vicki Lawal, Christine Stilwell, Rosemary Kuhn andPeter G. Underwood

Abstract

This chapter examines the efforts undertaken to restructure the legaleducation system in South Africa and Nigeria. It investigates theconnection between contextual influences and professional develop-ment, particularly with respect to the concept of legal informationliteracy and the value of acquired educational skills in the contextof legal practice. The chapter provides insights to the needs andchallenges for graduate requirement for legal information literacy skillsin the effort to ensure productivity in the legal education system inAfrica. Data were obtained using both quantitative and qualitativeapproaches. Outcomes from the study were supportive of the impor-tance of information literacy as central to the development ofprofessional competence. Findings also point to a need for greatercollaboration between the legal education system and the legalprofession in narrowing the gap between the teaching and practice oflaw specifically in the design and implementation of an informationliteracy framework for the legal education system.

Keywords: Information literacy; legal education; legal practice; SouthAfrica; Nigeria

Developing People’s Information Capabilities: Fostering Information Literacy in Educational,

Workplace and Community Contexts

Library and Information Science, Volume 8, 151–166

Copyright r 2013 by Emerald Group Publishing Limited

All rights of reproduction in any form reserved

ISSN: 1876-0562/doi:10.1108/S1876-0562(2013)0000008014

152 Vicki Lawal et al.

10.1. Introduction

The impact of globalisation has brought about changes to the context of legalpractice particularly with respect to developments in legal informationprovision and the need for increased specialisation in the various aspectsof law. Observations by some commentators have indicated that successfullegal practice is increasingly dependent on practical knowledge of informa-tion skills and its effective application to the context of the workplace(Kuhlthau & Tama, 2001, pp. 27, 30; Otike &Matthews, 2000, p. 242; Wall &Johnston, 1997, p. 98). Also, studies in the workplace have shown that theglobalised economy of the future requires people who are skilled andinnovative in handling information in various formats (Cheuk, 2002, p. 2).This perspective further re-affirms the importance of information literacyskills as the most important skills set for knowledge workers in theinformation age (Bruce & Candy, 2000, pp. 4, 5).

In the practice of law, changes in the structure of the legal professionhave highlighted the need to restructure the legal education system in orderto produce graduates who can work well in a globalised and knowledgedriven economy and who are creative and flexible learners in the workplace(Mamman, 2009, p. 2; Owasanoye, 2000, p. 175). These changes have alsohighlighted the need to reconstitute the legal education system by payinggreater attention to the critical value of skills training and other clinicalexperiences that can transform law graduates into effective legal practi-tioners in the workplace (Konefsky & Sullivan, 2011). In the light of thesechallenges, the role of formal legal education in instilling generic and specificskills for qualitative legal practice has become an area of focus among legalacademics and the practicing bar particularly with regard to the need tofacilitate the development of job-specific skills that are transferable to theworkplace in order to meet the demands of the twenty-first century.

10.2. Information Literacy, Legal Information Literacy and the

Legal Profession

Kuhn (2008, p. 486) defines information literacy as an active problem-solving process and an amalgam of skills and knowledge concerned withidentifying an information need, finding, evaluating and using a range ofinformation to answer a particular need in an appropriate way. In theeducational system, information literacy constitutes an important tool forfacilitating and enhancing teaching and learning. Definitions of the conceptwithin the educational context which emphasise the user’s ability to locate,evaluate and use information resources have increasingly fortified the active

Perspectives on Legal Education and the Role of Information Literacy 153

teaching and learning process as a holistic approach for developingknowledge and skills (Association of College and Research Libraries[ACRL], 2000; Warmkessel & McCade, 1997, p. 81).

The importance of information literacy can be measured by the attentionit has received at the global level as a fundamental factor in improvingteaching and learning in higher education, improving professional skills inthe workplace and encouraging an informed citizenry and governance in ademocratic society. Current research in information literacy skills training isexploring how learning in the workplace environment can be morecontextualised to reflect professional skills demand. Experiences of theimpact of information literacy in the workplace indicate a greater need forprofessional skills to meet new and undefined situations. In the knowledge-based economy, employees are not only required to have job-related skillsbut also the ability to work collectively, share information and createknowledge for problem-solving and effective decision-making (Correia &Teixeira 2002, pp. 3, 10–11).

In the legal field, the peculiarities of legal information resources require askilful approach by the user in the ability to locate a variety of primary andsecondary sources and to evaluate their relevance and applicability toproblem-solving. In legal practice, studies in the information behaviour oflawyers have shown that the pattern of their information-seeking behaviour,as with other professions, is informed by the kind of work they do (Otike &Matthews, 2000, p. 242). Legal practice is, however, more informationintensive in the sense that a considerable amount of information is requiredin order to accomplish a given task. Legal cases usually include suchresponsibilities as advising clients on their rights and liabilities, draftingconveyances and leases of property, deeds of partnerships and othercommercial agreements, wills, client representations in court cases, and soon, all of which require the practical application of legal theory andknowledge and an effective legal research skills in problem-solving (Leckie,Pettigrew & Sylvain, 1996, p. 173; Tuhumwire & Okello-Obura, 2010, p. 1).

Consequently, technological developments and the expanding array oflegal electronic databases have indicated that successful legal practice in theinformation technology age will depend on the level of acquired informationliteracy skills and their applicability to the techniques of legal research in thelegal profession (Du Plessis & Du Toit, 2006, p. 369). It is in this regard thatthe concept of legal information literacy has become relevant to the contextof legal practice as well as the best instructional approach to teaching legalresearch and writing in the legal education system. The uniqueness of theconcept lies within the disciplinary context of the legal profession itself, thatis, the form, organisation, access and distribution of legal materials, whichhas been central to the development of law as a discipline and has currentlyredefined legal research with a focus on and about the use of legal materials

154 Vicki Lawal et al.

(Hanson 2002, pp. 572–577). With the changing legal informationenvironment, complex tasks in legal research now require formulating newapproaches and creating ways of looking at the evidence in a case in order tosolve a given problem (Shavers, 2001, p. 411). The prospects of developingqualitative legal skills for legal practice have therefore placed a greaterresponsibility on the legal education system in Africa to focus more on thequality of teaching and the value of information skills acquisition foreffective legal practice (Wall & Johnston, 1997, p. 98). The concept of legalinformation literacy has challenged the role of legal education systemstowards fostering the development of students’ abilities in conductingindependent research especially in the electronic environment and hasserved as a basis for restructuring the legal education curricula throughinformation literacy (Bintliff, 2007, p. 263; Keefe, 2005, p. 121; Peoples,2005, p. 678).

10.3. Legal Information Literacy and the Context of Legal

Education in South Africa and Nigeria

The system of legal education in any country constitutes the most criticalcomponent for the development of a sound legal profession. Theeffectiveness of its practical skills training forms the necessary foundationfor the development of expert skills within any field of law. An analysis ofthe context of the legal education system in South Africa and Nigeria hasshown that various efforts have been undertaken towards encouraging theinculcation of legal information skills. Iya (2000: Introduction) notes thatwith the restoration of democracy in 1994 considerable changes had beenundertaken to incorporate equality in the legal education system in SouthAfrica. Kuhn (2008, p. iii) also noted that as part of the efforts towardsredressing the level of preparedness of undergraduate law students at theuniversity level, changes to the new national qualification requirementsemphasised the development of a range of skills such as problem-solving,numeracy, computer skills, and writing for effective legal practice.Currently, the challenge faced by the legal education system in SouthAfrica is that of implementing changes that reflect domestic needs as well astackling issues of a global nature.

In Nigeria, the impact of globalisation and advances in Information andCommunication Technology (ICT) in the past few years has challenged thelegal education system to produce more highly qualified and skilled legalpractitioners who can practice beyond the local domain. One of the mostimportant areas of consideration in this regard is the curriculum and contentof legal education and teaching methods at the university level and the

Perspectives on Legal Education and the Role of Information Literacy 155

Nigerian Law School (NLS) (Mamman, 2009, pp. 4, 5). Changes advocatedfor curriculum reform were aimed at giving more attention to skills-basedprogrammes and the need to alter teaching methods towards moreparticipatory learning processes at both the university and the Law Schoollevels. The increasing challenge of these changes has intensified the demandamong legal academics and practitioners for a more standardised legaleducation system in Nigeria in order to ensure the development of practicalskills that are transferable to the workplace (Network of University LegalAid and Institutions (NULAI), 2006, pp. 4, 5; Grimes, 2009: The reforms).

Attempts at reforming legal education have been undertaken in variouscountries such as Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States withthe aim of revitalizing effective teaching and learning methods in ways thatenhance practical experiences in the study of law. Legal educational reformsin the United States, for example, formed the basis for the development ofthe MacCrate Report of 1992 (American Bar Association, 1992). The effortstowards such reforms are motivated by the need to renew professionalismand develop a new framework in legal education that would ensure atransition from content-based to outcome-based method of instruction inthe study of law. Such developments in any law school help to reshape thepractice of law especially with respect to the achievement of qualitativeprofessional legal skills (Garth & Martin, 1993, p. 469; Kuhn, 2008, p. 97;Montgomery, 2008, p. 324; Stuckey & The Clinical Association, 2007,p. 45). In South Africa and Nigeria, it is noted that changes to thecurriculum in the legal education system have indicated the efforts so farundertaken to include such courses that will enable graduate lawyersapply their skills to complex legal systems. However, a persistent problemobserved is the gap between the skills acquired during legal training at theeducational level and the extent to which they are effectively transferred tothe workplace. Lawal’s (2009) study, which investigated the relevance ofinformation literacy in the context of legal education, specifically as it affectsissues on the conduct of the legal research skills of undergraduate lawstudents at the University of Cape Town, South Africa and the University ofJos, Nigeria, has shown that the legal curricula, particularly in Nigeria, hasnot succeeded in the task of educating students to be effective in developinginformation skills that are critical for the legal workplace. Findings of thestudy provided insight on the need for core standards and competencies forlegal information literacy to be integrated into basic research instruction inthe legal education system. Findings also contributed to an understanding tothe conceptual development of legal information literacy, particularly inAfrica where it has not received much scholarly attention.

The study upon which this chapter is based set out to investigate theconnection between formal legal education and work-related informationliteracy skills and practices. It examined the responsibility of legal education

156 Vicki Lawal et al.

institutions in Nigeria in increasing the efficiency with which professionalexpertise is developed for the legal workplace. Based on the findings of thestudy, this chapter analyses the educational underpinnings involved inimplementing an integrated information literacy programme for legaleducation in Nigeria and contributes to an understanding of the conceptof legal information literacy and its relevance to the development ofprofessional competence for qualitative legal practice.

10.4. Theoretical Framework

In undertaking the study, Kuhlthau’s Information Search Process (ISP)model was employed. Kuhlthau’s ISP model presents an iterative aspect ofthe information-seeking process of users through the various stages whichinclude Initiation, Selection, Exploration, Formulation, Collection andPresentation. The model describes the feelings, thoughts and actions of theuser in an information-seeking task starting with the Initiation to thePresentation stage (Kuhlthau, 2004, p. 185).

Each of the stages of the model provides an opportunity to test howtheoretical knowledge can be transferred to practical situations through thesearch process. The model is a synthesis of cognitive information science andconstructivist learning theory which emphasises the ability of the individualto construct meaning in a given situation. It is this ability for creativethinking that leads to an awareness of need for information in problem-solving. Accordingly, the progressive nature in the practical application ofeach of the stages indicates a gradual advancement by the user from the stateof being a novice to an expert in the effort towards attaining a ‘‘sense ofownership’’ in the search process (Kuhlthau, 1989: Summary of the fivestudies). In conducting the study of legal practitioners in Nigeria, the modelwas useful for investigating the adequacy of information literacy skillstraining received during undergraduate legal education and at the NLS andto determine the level of preparedness and competency of the law graduatesknown as ‘‘aspirant barristers’’ for legal practice. Through the model,investigations of the aspects of the affective dimension associated withinformation seeking were also found to be linked to the perceived level oftask complexity experienced by the aspirant barristers. These findingsconfirm that emotions are directly relevant to learning and can eitherfacilitate or block learning activity (Moon, 2004, pp. 53, 54). In the legalprofession, the cognitive and affective domains constitute the centre ofprofessional development with respect to the acquisition of intellectual skillsand the development of analytical and evaluative skills (Nichols, 2005,pp. 441, 442). The ISP model thus provided a framework for the study by

Perspectives on Legal Education and the Role of Information Literacy 157

which the connection between learning, experience and the development ofexpertise among the aspirant barristers in the legal workplace could beassessed.

10.5. Methodology

The study employed a case study method which provided an opportunity forrich descriptions and an in-depth analysis of the complexity and socialcontext of the case under study (Punch 1998, p. 150). The first group of thesampled population for the study comprised the aspirant barristers who arelaw graduates undertaking bar examinations to qualify to practice aslawyers under the Nigerian legal system. The choice of this category of lawgraduates was for the purpose of determining the extent to which they areable to transfer and apply recently acquired information literacy skills fromthe educational environment to the workplace, having recently concludedtheir undergraduate studies at the university. The second group comprised agroup of law firms which were selected as areas of placement training for theaspirant barristers.

The process of data collection was undertaken through the administra-tion of separate questionnaires to the two groups of respondents. A total of620 copies of the questionnaire were administered to the graduate lawyers ofthe NLS of which 515, representing 83% of the total questionnairesresponses, were completed and returned. Total responses obtained from thelaw firms were 202 out of the 341; this figure represents 59% of the totalresponses received. Both quantitative and qualitative data were used in theprocess of data collection and analysis (Putney 2010, p. 118). In applyingmixed methods to the study, qualitative methods were used in addressingcontextual issues in the study which enabled the researcher to provide a richdescription and explanation of the processes of the local context beingexplored. Quantitative methods were then used for measuring certainfactors considered important in the relevant research literature which helpedin complementing the findings obtained through qualitative methods(Johnson & Onwuegbuzie, 2004, p. 19; Ngulube, Mokwatlo & Ndwandwe,2009, p. 107; Tashakkori & Teddlie 2009, p. 283).

10.6. Research Objectives and Questions

The objectives of the study included, among other things, the need toexamine evidence of information literacy-related practices in the legalworkplace in Nigeria and to investigate outcomes of information literacy

158 Vicki Lawal et al.

training in relation to current legal practice. It also aimed to identify theextent to which professional legal training by the NLS equips aspirantbarristers with competencies for the legal workplace and to assess the levelof transferability of professional legal training to the workplace in Nigeria.

The main focus of the study was to investigate the connection betweenformal legal education and work-related information literacy skills andpractices, with the aim of ascertaining the nature of transferability ofgraduate skills to the workplace. Among the research questions for thestudy, this chapter seeks to address the following questions:

1. How have changes in current legal practice affected problems of skillsdeficiency in the workplace in Nigeria?

2. What is the responsibility of the legal education system in Nigeria inincreasing the efficiency with which graduate lawyers develop profes-sional expertise for qualitative legal practice?

3. What should the nature of a legal information literacy curriculum be inorder to close the gap between formal legal education and legal practice?

4. What kind of collaboration is needed between the legal education systemand legal practitioners in order to promote the development ofqualitative legal skills for the workplace?

10.6.1. How Have Changes in Current Legal Practice Affected Problems ofSkills Deficiency in the Workplace in Nigeria?

The issue of skills deficiency in legal practice predates the current reforms atthe NLS; the legal education system in Nigeria has been faced with complexproblems of skills training which had given greater urgency to the calls forreform in the educational system. These problems have been furtheraggravated by developments in ICT and the accompanying changes in thecontext of legal practice in Nigeria which require better strategies andtechniques in legal practice (Okwonkwo, 2000, pp. 21, 30; Owasanoye, 2000,p. 175; Popoola, 2000, p. 233).

Findings from the data in Table 10.1 show that 70% of the law firms haveaccess to the Internet which facilitates access to online resources and otherelectronic databases, both foreign and local. Responses to the questionnairein which the law firms were asked to indicate the areas in which ICT isemployed in the activities of their firm show that ICT is used by law firms inNigeria in conducting legal research (71%), sending and receiving e-mails(69%), preparation of court cases (65%), improving legal knowledge (60%)and communicating with other lawyers (48%). This analysis provides ageneral picture of the context of the applicability of ICT legal practitionersin Nigeria which, to some extent, suggests a gradual shift in the conduct oflegal practice in Nigeria. The availability of these resources has enhanced the

Table 10.1: Tasks related to the use of ICT in the law firms.a

Task Yes No Don’t know

Conducting legal research 143 41 1

(71%) (20%) (0%)

Sending and receiving e-mail 135 48 0

(69%) (24%) –

Preparation of court cases and enhancing work and

professional productivity

132 47 2

(65%) (23%) (1%)

Improving legal knowledge 121 57 2

(60%) (28%) (1%)

Communicating with other law firms 97 84 0

(48%) (42%) –

Accessing the current decisions of the Supreme

Court of Nigeria

80 94 2

(40%) (47%) (1%)

Drafting of legal reports 72 109 2

(36%) (54%) (1%)

Accessing state statutes amendments and national acts 73 98 5

(36%) (49%) (3%)

Accessing electronic journals, books and other resources 69 104 2

(34%) (52%) (1%)

International transactions and electronic business 62 111 6

(31%) (55%) (3%)

Accessing the current decisions of the High Courts

in Nigeria

45 129 2

(22%) (64%) (1%)

Not used at all 11 0 0

(5%) – –

Advertising 6 173 7

(3%) (86%) (4%)

aIn responding to the question, multiple-choice options were given to the respondents. ‘‘Non

responses’’ have been omitted from the table but included in calculating the percentages.

N ¼ 202.

Perspectives on Legal Education and the Role of Information Literacy 159

speed and efficiency by which legal practice is conducted and given a globaloutlook to the legal profession in Nigeria.

The implications of these changes is that the changing complexity of thecontent and procedure of law has made law firms require that graduatelawyers come to them already equipped with client-servicing skills (Davis,2008: Foundations for improved legal education; Meyer, 2009, p. 301).Current changes in the context of legal practice in Nigeria thereforeemphasise the need for the NLS to ensure that legal education in Nigeriadevelops in consonance with these changes. This objective can be achievedby developing the legal education curricula in such a way as to align theinfluence of formal legal education and workplace learning in order tobridge the gap between analytical and practical knowledge and provide theaspirant barristers with a strategic advantage for continuous learning in thelegal profession.

160 Vicki Lawal et al.

10.6.2. What Is the Responsibility of the Legal Education System in Nigeriain Increasing the Efficiency with Which Graduate Lawyers DevelopProfessional Expertise for Qualitative Legal Practice?

Developing professional expertise emphasises the need to inculcate thenecessary legal skills in law students before graduation from the law school.Even though changes have been implemented to the content and structure ofthe courses at the NLS by the adoption of a skills-based curriculum, it isnoted that there is still the need to reconceptualise aspects of the law schoolcurricula that relate to skills development, particularly legal research, byintegrating it into a more coherent framework within which generic andspecific skills can be taught. Such a conceptual framework will also helpfacilitate the development of transferable skills. Findings from the studyhave indicated that the information literacy skills demands by law firms forlegal practice in Nigeria include proficiency in such vital skills as oral andwritten communication skills, problem-solving skills, critical thinking andevaluative skills and legal research skills. Currently, the response of the NLSwith regard to the implementation of legal information literacy instructionso far has been insufficient in terms of dealing with problems of skillsdeficiency and equipping aspirant barristers with the needed competencyskills for the workplace.

Consequently, the major responsibility of the legal education system inthis regard is that of ensuring the development of skills competences throughthe general curriculum and facilitating better practical learning experiencesthrough clinical programmes. This process will help prepare law students tolearn to use acquired knowledge in solving complex legal problems withinthe workplace (Sullivan et al., 2007, pp. 27–29). Since the ultimate aim oflegal education is to foster the development of legal expertise and soundprofessional skills, it is imperative that the curriculum and teaching methodsin the law school are conceived and carried out with the intentional goal ofpromoting growth in expertise (Sullivan et al., 2007, p. 116). A balance inthe legal education system can be achieved by ensuring that the curriculumdesign and teaching methods of the legal education system are developed inconsonance with the changing context of legal practice.

10.6.3. What Should the Nature of a Legal Information Literacy Curriculumbe in Order to Close the Gap Between Formal Legal Education andLegal Practice?

Information literacy plays an important role in the learning process by wayof enhancing the curricula and educational mission of higher educationinstitutions (Snavely & Cooper, 1997, p. 9). The need to address problems ofskills deficiency has necessitated the integration of information literacy skills

Perspectives on Legal Education and the Role of Information Literacy 161

into the curriculum of higher education institutions in the effort to equipgraduates with the needed conceptual, intellectual and educational frame-work with which to understand and interpret various sources of information(Rader, 1995, p. 271). This effort has also compelled the restructuring ofprogrammes of curricula aimed at impacting the learning process moreeffectively (Rockman, 2002, pp. 186, 187). However, despite the increasingimportance of information literacy, only a few legal education institutions inAfrica have been able to articulate competencies and learning outcomes thatare relevant to legal information literacy.

The nature of an information literacy curriculum should incorporate theabilities for reasoning and critical thinking in such a way as to help the userconstruct a framework for learning in any given context. In legal education,the conceptual understandings of legal information literacy is rooted instudies which have highlighted students’ learning experiences in the useof legal information resources in various institutions and the contributionsof their findings to issues of curriculum development and the promotion oflifelong learning (Andretta, 2001; Cuffe, 2002; Kuhn, 2008).

In designing a legal information literacy curriculum, therefore, it isimportant to determine the nature of information literacy skills requiredwhich will then inform the aspects of the curriculum that need to bereconceptualised and integrated into a more coherent framework withinwhich generic and specific skills can be taught. The adoption of a legalinformation literacy paradigm in the legal education system will promote theteaching and learning of knowledge, skills and attitudes within thecurriculum and facilitate deep learning among graduate lawyers. It willalso provide them with the opportunity to engage in critical thinking andreflective practice in learning and in the use and application of legalinformation resources. The Association of College and Research Libraries(ACRL) Competency Standard (2000) has provided a baseline forimplementing concepts of information literacy into the higher educationcurriculum. The components of the standards provide a structured approachfor teaching the basic techniques of information use which can enablestudents to engage in the use of a variety of information sources, therebysharpening their critical thinking and evaluative skills (Eisenberg, Lowe, &Spitzer, 2004, p. 130).

10.6.4. What Kind of Collaboration Is Needed Between the Legal EducationSystem and Legal Practitioners in Order to Promote theDevelopment of Qualitative Legal Skills for the Workplace?

In order to limit the gap between legal education and practice, collaborationbetween the legal education system, legal academics, the practicing bar andacademic librarians is needed, particularly in the design of the curriculum

162 Vicki Lawal et al.

and teaching methods at the university and the law school levels. Theadoption of more innovative approaches that are student centred has greaterpotential in ensuring the development of competent skills that aretransferable to the workplace. Similarly, current trends in globalisationdemands that graduate lawyers are trained with a level of competence andspecialisation in international law to enable them compete at the global leveland this can only be achieved if the curriculum of legal educationincorporates aspects of international law in such areas as human rights,labour law, ICT, environmental law, intellectual property and so on foreffective legal practice (Mamman, 2009, pp. 17, 18).

The importance of collaborative action has been an issue of paramountimportance in the integration of information literacy. In educationalinstitutions, the growth in collaborative endeavours between librarians andteaching faculty has been the primary key to integrating information literacyinto the curriculum as this has had far-reaching effects on the extent towhich success in implementation can be achieved (Rockman, 2002, p. 187).Librarians as information professionals play an important role in creatingawareness of the issues around information literacy: their knowledge of awide range of legal resources and research tools is instructive in the area ofdeveloping legal information skills which can be integrated into thecurriculum. It is in this regard also that this study makes a vital contributionas the findings have suggested several considerations that can provideguidance on the importance of the role of legal information literacy in thecurriculum of legal education in Nigeria. Consequently, the responsibilityfor the development of legal information literacy in the legal educationsystem in Nigeria must be shared within strategic partnerships at variouslevels, that is with respect to curriculum design, policy development andteaching, which will help foster the development of critical and evaluativeskills among law graduates in ways that are transferable to the workplace.

10.7. Conclusion

The conceptual understanding of legal information literacy emphasises theunique nature of legal information resources as intrinsic to the disciplinarycontext of law and the legal profession. Analyses from findings of the studyhave indicated the need for reforms at the NLS to focus more on qualitativemethods of teaching and learning in order to develop practical skills for theworkplace. Findings have also suggested that by focusing instructionalefforts on the development of lawyering skills and professional valuesthrough information literacy, the NLS can establish a legal education systemin Nigeria in a way that uniquely prepares aspirant barristers for the legal

Perspectives on Legal Education and the Role of Information Literacy 163

profession. Findings have equally pointed to a number of issues that arerelevant to legal education and the context of legal practice, including theneed to narrow the gap in skills development in order to transform theteaching and practice of law in Nigeria.

The summary of the findings in relation to the research questions of thestudy demonstrates its contributions to research in legal information literacy.Specifically, it points to the fact that, as a consequence of the rapid increase inICT and the growth in legal information resources, greater commitment isrequired in the legal education system towards the development of qualitativeskills in the legal profession, particularly in emerging economies like Africa.Manteaw (2008, p. 937) argues the need for reforms in the legal educationsystem in Africa, specifically to focus more on meeting local challenges byencouraging skills specialisation in various aspects of legal practice while, atthe same time, creating greater interest in African legal systems as they relateto the global legal order. The role of information literacy within the contextof such reforms in the education system is that the principles of informationliteracy as reflected in the ACRL Information Literacy CompetencyStandards for Higher Education (2000) are useful for informing the designof the curriculum and content of legal education at the undergraduate,postgraduate as well as professional levels. From this study, it is seen thatexplorations of the value of information literacy to the legal educationsystems in South Africa and Nigeria have positively supplemented previousstudies and contributed to the existing body of knowledge by assessing howthe integration of information literacy into the curriculum of the legaleducation system can help in addressing problems of skills deficiency amonggraduate lawyers for qualitative legal practice.

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