Law reporting and development of Nigerian law: The implications for law library services in the digital age

Abstract

Law reporting is a crucial element in the development of Nigerian law, correcting errors in previous cases and providing references for similar future cases. It encompasses the documentation of court decisions, offering insights into case details, parties, and court divisions. This practice is integral to judicial precedent, where lower courts are bound by superior court decisions. This paper's objectives are to examine the impact of law reporting on Nigerian law's development, explore the role of vast information resources in law libraries in addressing legal challenges, and identify problems associated with law reporting. The study adopts a descriptive survey research design, with data collected through self-designed questionnaires distributed among legal practitioners. Simple random sampling technique was utilized to sample 200 respondents from three geopolitical zones in Nigeria, namely: Rivers, Anambra, and Ogun State. Hence, 600 respondents were sampled for the study. 600 questionnaires were distributed and 393 were correctly filled and returned, indicating 66% response rate. Descriptive statistics of mean score was used for data analysis. The results show that law reporting significantly influences Nigerian law's development by contributing to legal research, shaping jurisprudence, aiding legal education, and more. However, challenges like inadequate coverage, delayed publication, limited access, and quality control issues hinder its effectiveness. The conclusion highlights the pivotal role of law reporting in Nigerian law's development, promoting transparency, consistency, and access to legal information. To overcome challenges and enhance law reporting's impact, recommendations include comprehensive coverage, timely publication, improved accessibility, standardized citation formats, multilingual support, technological advancement.