From improving access to justice to modernising court systems, legal technology is reshaping how justice is delivered around the world. As AI adoption accelerates, Northern Ireland has an opportunity not only to benefit from this transformation, but to help shape how it happens responsibly. The challenge now is turning innovation into real public value, economic growth and global leadership.
Artificial intelligence is no longer a future concept for the legal sector. It is already reshaping how disputes are resolved, how advice is delivered, and how legal systems manage rising demand. The question is no longer whether legal technology will transform the profession and the judiciary, because that transformation is already underway globally. Instead, the real challenge is how regions like Northern Ireland can harness this shift to improve access to justice, support legal practitioners and courts, and ensure that people benefit from responsible innovation.
As Director of the Centre for Legal Technology at Ulster University, I see both the extraordinary potential and the very real risks of this moment. Used well, legal technology can modernise public services, reduce backlogs and widen access to affordable legal support. Used poorly, it risks deepening inequality by widening digital access gaps, embedding bias into systems that guide legal and judicial decision making, and creating a two-tier legal landscape in which some users benefit from advanced tools while others are left behind.
Getting this balance right will define the next phase of justice reform.
READ MORE: Northern Ireland’s Next AI Leap: From Experimentation to Maturity
Access to Justice Is the Biggest Opportunity
Justice systems across the UK and beyond are under sustained pressure. Courts face historic backlogs, legal aid resources remain stretched, and many individuals and small businesses struggle to obtain timely advice. This is where legal technology can deliver its greatest public benefit.
At the Centre, we are working with partners including the Labour Relations Agency, and the Northern Ireland start up TalkTerms on practical AI driven pilots designed to address these challenges. This collaboration, which representsTalkTerms’ first partnership with both a university and a public sector body, shows how connected innovation across academia, government and industry can deliver real impact. Developed in response to mass case backlogs following the Agnew decision, the pilot uses digital tools to streamline triage, document handling and early-stage dispute resolution. Rather than replacing legal professionals, this approach removes friction from the process and allows expertise to be focused where human judgement matters most, helping individuals navigate procedures more efficiently and reach earlier resolution. When implemented responsibly, this represents a meaningful improvement in access to justice.
However, unlocking this potential depends on how responsibly these technologies are designed, deployed and governed.
Innovation Must Be Responsible Innovation
One of the most immediate risks is the growing use of generic AI tools by members of the public seeking legal advice. These systems can hallucinate information, reproduce hidden bias and present outputs with unwarranted confidence. In high stakes contexts such as family law, employment disputes, immigration and housing, misinformation can have serious consequences.
For legal professionals there is alsoa challenge where tools become more embedded in everyday practice, that there is a danger of over reliance on them. This could endanger core skills such as legal reasoning, evidential assessment and ethical judgement being lost to automated systems, with the possibility professions could risk deskilling themselves over time.
This is why governance, standards and education must evolve alongside technology. Responsible development of legal tech depends on transparency, rigorous testing, domain specific design and clear professional guidance. Northern Ireland has an opportunity to be at the centre of how these advanced legal technologies are developed and adopted.
Moving From Experimentation to Infrastructure
A Key frontier for legal technology is the modernisation of our court systems and judicial workflows. To date much attention has focused on tools for legal practitioners, however the greatest impact of AI will be how justice institutions manage cases and deliver services at scale. Working in close collaboration with judicial stakeholders, our Centre’s research is helping to shape how AI can be responsibly integrated into judicial decision making, within the courts of England and Wales. This demonstrates how innovation emerging from Northern Ireland’s legal tech community can have impact beyond the region.
This though is not about replacing humans from judicial decision making, where there are high stakes. Rather it is about developing advanced digital assistants that support our judges by processing large volumes of information, generating draft decision outputs, whilst also ensuring that authority and accountability remain firmly with the judge. Indeed, this approach has the potential to improve consistency, reduce systemic delay and strengthen institutional capacity.
It also sends a clear signal about where innovation can come from and by bringing together universities, public bodies and industry partners, Northern Ireland can actually develop local solutions that respond to operational needs whilst positioning the region as an exporter of legal technology expertise.
Building Skills Through Collaboration
Universities can play a pivotal role in this transformation as was exemplified by initiatives such as the Legal AI Roadshow, delivered in partnership with Factor Law and the Law Society of Northern Ireland.With the aim of supporting practitioners to engage with emerging tools, regulatory challenges and ethical frameworks, it was a good example of how our work spans research, industry collaboration, policy engagement and skills development, helping to bridge the gap between technological innovation and legal practice.
This collaborative approach is essential to sustainable innovation. Progress depends on strong partnerships between academia, industry, government and professional bodies, as well as on developing graduates who combine legal expertise with digital literacy, data awareness and ethical competence. To this last point, Northern Ireland’s universities are well placed to continue to develop talent capable of working confidently across law and technology.
Northern Ireland’s Strategic Advantage
It can be confidently argued that Northern Ireland is uniquely positioned to lead in legal technology, combining a strong legal profession, growing digital capability, respected universities and an emerging reputation for responsible AI innovation. Its size is a strategic advantage, enabling agile collaboration, pilot projects and rapid iteration in ways that larger jurisdictions often struggle to achieve.
Legal technology also represents a significant economic opportunity. Rather than being a niche sector, it brings together AI, cyber security, public service reform, professional services and digital exports in a way that creates real commercial potential. With the right conditions in place, this can support the growth of internationally focused companies, attract partnerships, create high value jobs and strengthen Northern Ireland’s reputation as a centre for innovation.
Turning this potential into reality will however require deliberate action. Sustained government investment, targeted support for applied research, stronger pathways for start-ups and scale ups, and regulatory frameworks that encourage responsible experimentation will all be essential.
READ MORE: Building Trust in Technology: Why Responsible AI Matters for Everyone
A Call for Strategic Investment and Global Ambition
If Northern Ireland wants to compete globally, legal technology must form part of its long-term strategy. That means investing in people, governance frameworks and institutional capacity, while strengthening pathways between education, research and industry.
By combining technological innovation with strong ethical foundations and public interest design, we have the opportunity not just to adapt to change, but to lead it.
That is a future worth building.
Sync NI's Spring 2026 magazine explores innovation and collaboration transforming Northern Ireland's technology ecosystem
This issue features exclusive insights from industry leaders on AI transformation, cybersecurity evolution, legal technology innovation, and how strategic partnerships between academia and business are accelerating real-world impact across the region.
Read the Spring 2026 edition free online →
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