AI and the Law

Professor Katie Atkinson is Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Director of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Sustainability Research at the University of Liverpool, UK. Katie is known internationally for her foundational and interdisciplinary research contributions on artificial intelligence over the past 20 years, with her key areas of research being in the fields of computational models of argument and AI & Law. As Professor of Computer Science, she has published over one hundred and fifty articles in peer-reviewed conference proceedings and journals, and has also applied her work in a variety of industrial projects with small and large law firms. In 2016-2017 Katie served her research community as President of the International Association for AI and Law, and since 2020 she has been a member of the Lawtech UK Panel, a government-backed initiative to help transform the UK legal sector through technology. Katie served on the Computer Science and Informatics sub-panel in the UK Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 and in 2024 she was appointed to the Artificial Intelligence Advisory Board of the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ). She also holds the roles of Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Artificial Intelligence and Law journal and President of The Foundation for Legal Knowledge-Based Systems (JURIX).

Colin Birss is a judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales and Deputy Head of Civil Justice. He was called to the English Bar in 1990 and practiced in intellectual property law, taking silk in 2008. In 2010 Colin Birss went on the bench, first as judge of the Patents County Court (now IPEC)) and then, in 2013, to the High Court. In 2019 he became Judge in Charge of the Patents Court and in 2021 was appointed to his current roles.

Lord Hughes of Ombersley (Anthony) Is a retired judge. After Van Mildert College, Durham, he briefly lectured in law at Durham and Queen Mary College London before going to the Bar in Birmingham chambers in 1971. Silk 1990. Judge 1997 until 2018 successively in the Family Division, the Queen’s Bench Division, the Court of Appeal (Vice President of the Criminal Division) and the Supreme Court. Since retirement he has been a Judicial Commissioner for the Investigatory Powers Commission, a co-ordinator of the Royal Society’s Science and Law project (Hon FRS 2024) and Chairman of a public inquiry. He lives in Worcestershire, where he is an active charity trustee. He attempts to remain approximately sane via garden effort, bellringing and veteran rowing. He is married to a former biochemist; they have two grown-up children.

Dame Anne Rafferty read Law at Sheffield which in 2005 awarded her an Ll.D, was called by Gray’s Inn and began pupillage in 1974. She became a QC in 1990 and a Recorder in 1991. She is married to His Honour Brian Barker CBE KC, the former Recorder of London, and has three daughters.

She was Head of Chambers at 4, Brick Court, (now 9, Bedford Row) 1994–2000. At the Criminal Bar Association she sat on the Committee 1986–1991, was Secretary 1989–1991, *Vice-Chairman 1993–1995, and *Chairman 1995–1997. She was *Chairman of the Bar Conference 1992. She was the only barrister on the Royal Commission on Criminal Justice 1991–1993. On the Pigot Committee 1988–1989 she wrote the recommendation now reflected in video-recorded interviews and subsequently of the evidence (in advance of trial) of vulnerable witnesses.

She was *Presiding Judge of the South Eastern Circuit 2003–2006.

She was a member of the Sentencing Council 2009–2012.

She was made a High Court Judge in 2000 and a Lord Justice of Appeal in 2011.

She was de facto *Chairman of the Criminal Procedure Rule Committee from 2012–2017.

She became Chairman of the Judicial College in August 2014.

In November 2015 she was installed as *Chancellor of the University of Sheffield.

In 2017 she was appointed Vice Chairman of the Judicial Appointments Commission.

* = first woman

Professor Sir Nigel Shadbolt FRS FREng FBCS is Principal of Jesus College and Professorial Research Fellow in Computer Science at the University of Oxford.