Last month, the European Judicial Training Network ran an insightful webinar series on Artificial Intelligence in the judiciary, building on the momentum created with an introductory webinar series that took place in 2025. The webinar series aimed to deepen the understanding of AI within the judiciary, with a particular focus on ethical, professional, and regulatory challenges.
Ethics and AI Technologies: Navigating the Moral Landscape
The opening webinar, held on 11 February 2026, brought together 181 participants, including judges, prosecutors, and other justice practitioners from across Europe. The session explored the increasing ethical challenges linked to the growing use of AI tools in judicial processes.
The webinar was delivered by Goran Selanec, Judge at the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Croatia, who offered a comprehensive and thought-provoking analysis of the intersection between AI technologies, judicial ethics, accountability, and the Rule of Law. Key themes addressed during the session included the expanding use of AI in the judiciary, ethical obligations and technological competence, the EU Artificial Intelligence Act and high-risk systems, risks to judicial fairness and fundamental rights, and the safeguards required to ensure responsible and lawful AI deployment.
AI in Legal Practice: Opportunities, Challenges and Professional Responsibility
The second webinar of the series, held on 18 February 2026, focused on AI in legal practice and attracted 260 participants, reflecting the growing interest across Europe in how AI is transforming legal work and reshaping professional responsibilities.
The session featured three distinguished speakers: Julie Couturier, President of the French Bar Association; Maaike Bomers, member of the General Council of the Dutch Bar Association; and Alexander Salvador, Member of the General Council and Board of Directors of the Barcelona Bar Association. Together, they offered practical insights into the opportunities, challenges, and ethical requirements linked to integrating AI into legal practice.
Maaike Bomers presented the evolving Dutch approach to AI in the legal profession, highlighting the central role of professional responsibility and stressing that AI can only be used effectively when lawyers fully understand both its capabilities and its risks.
Julie Couturier outlined France’s structured and strategic approach to AI adoption within the legal profession. The French National Bar Council (CNB) established an AI working group in 2024 and developed a four-stage roadmap to guide lawyers towards safe, ethical, and sovereign AI use. Key elements of this framework include the establishment of a secure ethical foundation, training as a prerequisite, informed navigation of the LegalTech market, and a clear understanding of real professional needs. Couturier emphasized that lawyers remain guardians of rights and liberties, and that their ethical duties must remain intact despite technological transformation.
Alexander Salvador presented Spain’s regulatory and ethical landscape, grounded in the EU Artificial Intelligence Act and national legal frameworks, including Instruction 2/2026 of the General Council of the Spanish Judicial Authority. His presentation addressed regulatory evolution, current uses of AI in Spain, and critical issues relating to data protection, confidentiality, and professional secrecy. He concluded unequivocally that AI may only function as an auxiliary tool, never as a replacement for human legal judgment.
The Future of AI in Legal Decision-Making
The webinar series concluded with a session focused on the future of AI and the role it might play in legal decision-making. Delivered by Meelis Erik, Judge of the First Instance Court of Civil and Criminal Matters in Tallinn, the event brought together 275 participants and offered a structured, in-depth reflection on the challenges, risks and evolving responsibilities linked to the integration of AI in justice systems.
Judge Eerik’s presentation addressed both the technical complexity of modern AI systems and the legal and ethical boundaries that courts must uphold. Key takeaways included reflections on morality, technological singularity and the automation paradox; clarification of AI terminology and technical realities; major technical risks such as hallucinations, bias, and data protection concerns; levels of AI autonomy in judicial tasks; the regulatory landscape under the EU AI Act and European ethical principles; international judicial practice; responsibility and liability; and practical models for human-AI collaboration in judicial decision-making.
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