Technology
AI tools “too biased” for sentencing decisions
Bias and inaccuracy render artificial intelligence algorithmic criminal justice tools unsuitable for assessing risk when making decisions on whether to imprison people or release them, according to a report.
Law firms throw weight behind tech start-ups
A London law firm yesterday launched a programme giving non-law tech start-ups already making money free legal advice for six months, and the prospect of investment funds.
Land Registry successfully transfers house using blockchain
A trial of blockchain involving digital transfer of property ownership has been completed by the Land Registry, but the agency has no plans to adopt the emerging technology itself any time soon.
Ethical impacts from AI “unimaginable”, says EU think tank
Artificial intelligence software poses risks to society including tracking and identifying individuals, ‘scoring’ people without their knowledge, and powering lethal autonomous weapons systems.
Susskind hits back at online court critics
The courts offer a “Rolls Royce system for the very few, while everyone else is left to walk”, Professor Richard Susskind has said in advocating for online courts.
Judges, police and lawyers warn MPs over court modernisation
Judges, justice campaigners, academics and others have raised wide-ranging concerns about the government’s ambitious court reform programme in evidence submitted to MPs.
Divorce to be wholly online “within months”
Every family law practitioner will have felt the effects of court modernisation in their daily practice within a year, with the remaining parts of the divorce process moving online within months.
Blockchain trial “has potential to transform property market”
The use of blockchain software in the end-to-end conveyancing process came a step closer when a worldwide trial involving leading law firms and banks cut transactions from months to weeks.
New video hearings pilot will test “more robust software”
Video hearings are set to be piloted for a second time in the tax tribunal, this time using “robust” technology after criticisms of its reliability last year, the Senior President of Tribunals has revealed.
ICLR launches research lab to promote legal data innovation
The charity that publishes law reports for the higher courts of England and Wales yesterday launched a research lab to leverage its archive of law reports in boosting legal innovation.
Blog
The ongoing rise and challenge of housing disrepair in council properties
Britain’s housing disrepair crisis has quietly evolved into one of the most consequential legal and political issues facing the country’s social housing sector.
Source of funds is where AML really gets tested
It’s a familiar story: a PDF of a bank statement lands in your inbox, your client leaves a cursory note explaining what some of the transactions mean, and you close the file.
Firms need to move faster on AI pricing
Law firms are trying to rethink pricing while still operating on business models fundamentally built around time.
