Nigerian Startup Builds AI Legal Platform for Law Firms

Watching his father struggle through stacks of law books late into the night inspired Abiola Ogodo to build something that could change how Nigerian lawyers work.

Ogodo launched Modulaw AI, an artificial intelligence platform designed specifically for Nigerian law firms facing a problem that general AI tools like ChatGPT can't safely solve. While these popular tools have entered legal offices, they sometimes generate fake case citations, a mistake that recently cost one law firm a fine when they submitted hallucinated references to court.

Modulaw AI takes a different approach by drawing only from a database of 10,000 real Nigerian Appeal Court and Supreme Court judgments. When lawyers search for legal precedents, the system provides summaries, outlines key issues, and assigns confidence scores to show how reliable each result is.

The platform does much more than research. Law firms can manage entire cases through the system, assigning tasks to team members, tracking billable hours, generating invoices, and receiving payments all from one interface.

After a client fills out an intake form, the system automatically organizes case details and notifies the right team members. Lawyers can even use a chat interface to request tasks like "generate this month's invoices" or "show me updates on the Johnson case."

Ogodo started with just the research tool, remembering how his father would frantically search for forgotten books before court appearances. As he developed the product, he realized Nigerian law firms needed help with their entire workflow, not just finding cases.

The Ripple Effect

Since launching paid subscriptions in August 2025, Modulaw AI has generated over 4 million naira in revenue and attracted 28 law firms as customers. Before going paid, about 1,000 users tested the free version.

The startup offers three subscription tiers for students, small firms, and larger practices, with pricing based on team size and usage. Each time someone queries the system or automates a workflow, it deducts credits from their balance.

The platform also earns fees when law firms collect payments through its invoicing system, charging 250 naira for smaller invoices and 500 naira for larger ones. One US-based law firm has already signed up, though Nigeria remains the primary market.

Ogodo bootstrapped the company without external funding, building from a personal problem into a solution that's making legal services more accessible across Nigeria. The startup is now developing a contract management suite to add to its research, case management, and client collaboration tools.

What started as a son wanting to help his father has grown into a platform transforming how an entire profession operates, making justice more accessible one automated workflow at a time.