Conference programme

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to reshape various aspects of our society, its integration into the legal system has garnered significant attention. The intersection of AI and access to justice presents a unique landscape, where technology meets the complexity of legal decision-making and a broader access to alternative dispute resolution methods. In this thought-provoking session, we will explore the multifaceted impacts of AI on access to justice, examining its effects on the quality of judgments, addressing concerns about bias, pondering the ethical notion of non-human justice, and exploring the AIs ability to comprehend and deliver fairness to citizens.

Sub-topics include: 

•    Impact on the access to fast delivery judgments: AI technologies have the potential to enhance the quality of judgments by streamlining legal research, analysing vast datasets and providing data-driven insights to judges and legal practitioners. This sub-topic will explore how AI tools can assist in making informed, evidence-based decisions and potentially reduce errors and inefficiencies within the justice system.
•    Addressing bias in AI: ensuring that AI is not biased by its programmers or by the data it learns from is a crucial aspect of integrating AI into the legal system. We will discuss the challenges associated with bias in AI algorithms, potential strategies to mitigate bias and the importance of transparency, accountability and ethical considerations in AI development.
•    Non-human justice: a fascinating aspect of AI’s role in the justice system is the concept of non-human justice. Can AI systems, devoid of human emotion and subjectivity, truly deliver justice? This sub-topic will spark a philosophical and ethical discussion on whether justice can be administered impartially and fairly by non-human entities.
•    AIs Understanding of fairness: understanding fairness is a complex human concept, influenced by cultural, social and legal norms. We will explore the challenges AI faces in comprehending and applying fairness, including the difficulties in defining fairness and the need to balance various stakeholders’ interests. This sub-topic will delve into the evolving field of AI ethics and its role in shaping AIs understanding of fairness. This session aims to foster a deeper understanding of the potential benefits and challenges that AI brings to a more just and equitable society.
•    Role of AI in judgment elaboration: a critical consideration is the extent of AIs role in the legal process. Should AI be limited to assisting in the analysis of evidence, or should it participate in elaborating judgments? This topic will examine the advantages and disadvantages of AI involvement in judgment elaboration and the implications for human oversight.
 

A breakfast meeting of the IBA Arbitration Committee will take place to discuss matters of interest and future activities, as well as to provide updates on the activities of the Committee.

Over recent years, law firm leaders have had to deal with several black swan events: a global pandemic, war in Europe and the Middle East, trade wars amongst world powers and a global economic recession with high inflation and interest rates. Leading law firms are, however, still doing well – do lawyers handle these events better than other businesses or are we simply active in a privileged industry? What have we learned? Where do we think we are headed?

This session will give a perspective on the work of the Hague Conference’s jurisdiction project which, following the success of the Choice of Courts Convention and the Judgments Convention, is now working on a new instrument on parallel proceedings. We will examine the potential impact of any new convention in the context of growing jurisdictional protectionism.

This aviation roundtable discussion is being led by industry experts and will cover global trends in aviation, repercussions to the industry and developments in finance and leasing laws.

General Counsel (GCs) are responsible for much more than providing legal advice. They can act as lawyers, risk managers, compliance officers, business advisors and more. Geopolitical developments, environmental changes, macroeconomic conditions and technological developments are all relevant to today’s GCs, not just changes to laws and regulations, and as a consequence, they frequently have disparate teams reporting to them. Our panel of experienced GCs and outside advisors will discuss some of the most important trending developments that affect companies of all sizes, from generative artificial intelligence (AI) to the effects of wars, trade tensions, environmental threats and economic challenges.

Many countries around the world are introducing cybersecurity legislation that require private and public players to implement specific technical and organisational safeguards to protect against cyberattacks throughout the entire supply chain. Recent examples include: NIS2 Directive and the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) in the EU; UN regulations R155/156; and US Federal laws, regulations and standards, such as the ’Sound Practices to Strengthen Operational Resilience’ paper issued by various US Federal institutions, the amendments introduced by the Federal Trade Commission related to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA) and the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA). One key aspect of such regulatory frameworks is often the objective to improve ‘operational resilience’ in digital services and other technology.

This panel session will explore the concept of ‘operational resilience’ from different perspectives and, specifically, if and how contractual arrangements can contribute to operational resilience. In addition, the panel will discuss practical aspects and challenges in implementation of local or regional cybersecurity regulation in national, regional and global organisations.

This session will cover new EU digital regulations – such as the Digital Services Act (DSA), Digital Markets Act and the Data Act – ) and explore how they have impacted other countries and what the first lessons learned are.

Balancing these issues requires careful consideration of individual rights and corporate interests. While employees have the right to express their opinions, employers also have a legitimate interest in protecting their business whilst upholding their environmental, social and governance (ESG) values.

This conference topic explores the intricate challenges associated with managing a global network of distribution agreements, while ensuring adherence to local laws, regulations and idiosyncratic market requirements.

In particular, the panel will focus on global enterprises, especially those in the software and cloud computing sectors, that engage local partners to distribute their products. These partnerships often involve agreements drafted from standardised global templates, typically subject to foreign choice-of-law provisions, which may need to consider the unique nuances of local jurisdictions more adequately.

The core objective of this discussion is to bring together in-house legal counsel and private practice practitioners to dissect the intricacies of these collaboration agreements. The conversation will encompass a range of critical topics, including addressing antitrust concerns, mechanisms for indemnification in breach or termination and the formulation of limitation of liability provisions.

This panel seeks to equip legal professionals with the knowledge and insights necessary to adeptly navigate the dynamic intersection of global companies and localised legal compliance within distribution agreements.
 

The cutting-edge seminar explores differing international perspectives on how lawyers best represent child trauma victims – be that through international conflicts, displacement, or domestic trauma.  We will study this dynamic through the lens of case stories and scenarios inspired by actual cases.  Among other topics, we will thoroughly explore whether there is an inherent conflict between individual representation and advocacy for systemic reform, and international practices and guidelines.

This seminar will include diverse perspectives from the Family Law Committee, the Judges Forum, the LGBTQI+ Committee, the Professional Ethics Committee, and the Immigration & Nationality Law Committee.

This is an important and timely program – not to be missed!

This session will be of particular interest to practitioners working in legal departments in local, national and international government and public bodies, including parliamentary counsel. This session will also provide a fascinating insight into the work of government and public lawyers for private sector lawyers.

In which areas do engineers, contractors and developers need to be most diligent in investigating local laws and practices that are likely to affect their projects (eg, labour practices, work hours, union rights and availability of common supplies and services)?

The concept of space and deep-sea mining, once confined to the realm of science fiction, are now on the verge of becoming a reality. As technological advancements pave the way for deep-sea and extraterrestrial resource extraction, the legal community faces a new frontier of challenges and opportunities. This topic delves into the legal frameworks, international agreements and ethical considerations surrounding these mining endeavours.