More courage to make mistakes

Dr. Christian Schifferdecker, Chairman of the German Association of Judges in Berlin, is very clear: “Without technological progress, the rule of law is in danger.” The question is not whether the judiciary needs modern technologies, but how quickly it can finally get them. “Proceedings are taking longer and longer and are becoming more and more complex, we are also facing a shortage of young talent, and the future prospects are not rosy,” said the judge at the panel ”Innovation from three perspectives: How technology is changing the courtroom” at the Smart Country Convention.

Digital aids for greater efficiency - such as video hearings, anonymization software or tools that create timelines of proceedings - are essential, he said. “We need to overcome judicial vanity and overly cautious resistance to change,” said Schifferdecker, who is a judge at the regional social court in Potsdam. Data protection, for example, is an important issue, but should no longer be an argument against digitalization.

In the case of AI support, employees in the justice system would have to develop appropriate skills. It is unacceptable that “tools for effectiveness are not used because they can be used incorrectly or misused”. With 700 pages of thick documents containing just two arguments, Schifferdecker said he often wished for AI assistance that would highlight the key points.

The AI-based lawyer's assistant

Austrian lawyer Dr. Alexander Skribe, who is also Managing Director of the no-code automation platform Unoy, takes a more progressive approach. He talks about his law firm, where every employee already has their own AI assistant to help them with their work. “We complete 300 pleadings in an hour, and the judges read them all individually. Of course, that creates a break. As a lawyer, I also need a digital counterpart at the courts,” said Skribe. He pleaded for a certain degree of error relaxation.

Jan Christian Hesterberg, Sales Manager and authorized signatory at ARKTIS IT solutions, also sees this as essential. His company develops digitalization solutions for the courtroom. “It takes courage to make changes and to consciously make mistakes in order to learn from them,” he said. Training is important because new technology also triggers resistance in many people because they are afraid of making a fool of themselves, according to the e-justice expert.

It is socially imperative that something changes, “otherwise faith and trust in the justice system will be lost”. Especially in view of the lack of young talent, it is time for change. “You have to give younger people the freedom to run - and sometimes fall down,” says Hesterberg. This is the only way to be attractive and competitive for applicants. “We don't get highly trained people for a Stone Age environment in the judiciary,” agreed Judge Schifferdecker.