By Muhammad Sal
PocketLawyers, a Nigerian legal-tech startup, has secured major backing from Nubia Capital to expand its digital platform for lawyers across Africa.
Ngozi Nwabueze, founder and CEO of PocketLawyers, never planned to be a tech entrepreneur. After launching her virtual law firm in 2020 due to COVID-19, she quickly saw a bigger opportunity: help lawyers run their practices online, without the high costs of traditional offices.
PocketLawyers now offers an all-in-one platform where solo lawyers and small firms can build no-code websites, generate legal documents using AI, manage client consultations, payments, and invoicing
and also create transparent profiles with services, prices, and client reviews
Described as “Shopify for lawyers,” the platform aims to make legal services more accessible and efficient, especially in places where many lawyers have little or no digital presence.
In 2024, PocketLawyers switched from a service-based model to a full SaaS (Software as a Service) platform. This move is already paying off, with over 250 lawyers signed up in Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.
A standout feature, PocketAI, helps lawyers with research and document drafting, saving time and boosting service quality.
Nubia Capital’s new investment will help PocketLawyers secure intellectual property, form partnerships with legal associations across Africa, and grow its product team. The exact funding amount remains undisclosed, but industry insiders say it’s a strong vote of confidence in African legal tech.
Davidson Oturu, general partner at Nubia Capital, said, “PocketLawyers is reimagining how Africa’s founders access the tools to build compliant, scalable, and investor-ready businesses.”
The startup is part of the FirstFounders venture studio, which supports African tech startups from idea to investment. David Lanre Messan, CEO of FirstFounders, called the deal “a win for the venture studio model and a big step for PocketLawyers.”
PocketLawyers is also onboarding 1,000 new lawyers, known locally as “new wigs,” as part of a grassroots push to grow its user base.
“African lawyers often have zero digital footprint,” Nwabueze told Technext. “PocketLawyers gives them that presence, along with tools for communication, productivity, and even payments. Our goal is to let lawyers practice independently, efficiently, and at scale.”
On the investment, she added, “This shows they believe in the product and its impact on the entire ecosystem, not just for lawyers, but also for businesses looking to expand across borders. We are building for AfCFTA and beyond.”
PocketLawyers plan to reach at least 10 African countries by the end of 2025, starting with Anglophone regions and then expanding into Francophone markets. The team’s long-term goal is to become the go-to legal infrastructure for Africa and emerging markets worldwide.
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