Farrer & Co gives Pro Bono support to JUSTICE’s UN submission on artificial intelligence and judicial systems

News

13.05.2025

Farrer & Co has provided Pro Bono assistance to JUSTICE, in preparing and filing a submission with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Margaret Satterthwaite (“the Special Rapporteur”), concerning artificial intelligence (“AI”) and judicial systems.

The Special Rapporteur has invited Member States, national human rights institutions, and other relevant State institutions, international and regional organisations, civil society, scholars, activists, and other interested individuals and organisations to provide written inputs for her next thematic report on AI and judicial systems. The report will be presented at the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in October 2025.

JUSTICE is a law reform charity working to promote fair, accessible and equal justice systems across the UK. They are the UK section of the International Commission of Jurists. JUSTICE uses their voice to influence improvements in the justice system and scrutinise changes which threaten the country’s adherence to human rights and the rule of law.

The JUSTICE submission summarises the key findings of their recent report published in January 2025, led by Sophia Adams Bhatti. It proposes the following rights and rule of law-based framework:

set clear goals for how AI in the justice system can strengthen human rights and the rule of law;
understand the risks which could undermine human rights, at a technical, individual and societal level; and
act responsibly: identify how responsible action by different actors involved at different stages safeguards human rights and the rule of law.

To prepare and file the submission, Ellen Lefley (Senior Lawyer, JUSTICE) worked with Pro Bono volunteers from Farrer & Co: Ian De Freitas, Rhian Lewis, Emily Waterhouse, Emily Costello, Constance Gillespie and Andrew Dixon. For more information about our Pro Bono work, see here.