Application of information communication technology (ICT) to legislative drafting: case studies of legislative drafting assistant softwares in Nigeria and Canada

Abstract

This paper examines the application of Information Communication Technology (ICT) tools by lawyers to simplify the task of legislative drafting of Bills and legislation. Using case studies in Nigeria and Canada some examples of the application of ICT to legislative drafting are examined. The idea of use and application of ICT tools for legislative drafting in Nigeria was first mooted in Nigeria in 1992 by the late Professor Keith Patchett during the Nigerian course in Legislative Drafting held in London. The lawyers that participated in the said course returned to Nigeria and trained other lawyers including Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja, who led a team of computer experts to design a simple software for legislative drafting. Regarding Canada, Chantal Lamarre explains how the application of ICT for legislative drafting can improve the overall legislative process.

Keywords

• information and communication technology (ict)
• legislative drafting