EDRM Webinar: The AI Gavel Drops: Will Australia's Strict New GenAI Rules Reshape Global Litigation?
Thursday, March 6, 2025 at 2 p.m. ET
Register for the webinar here.
In November 2024, the Chief Justice of New South Wales (the largest jurisdiction in Australia) sent shockwaves through the legal community by issuing what many considered the world’s most restrictive rules governing AI use in courts–essentially banning GenAI use for many core legal tasks. Just two months later, following debate and pushback from the worldwide legal community, the Justice dramatically reversed course. His revised Practice Note now provides a more nuanced framework that permits controlled AI use across many aspects of legal practice.
This remarkable pivot perfectly captures the complex balancing act courts face worldwide as they grapple with AI regulation:
- U.S. courts in Illinois and Minnesota seem to be embracing AI use while emphasizing accountability and verification over rigid disclosure requirements.
- Canada’s Federal Court now requires declarations for AI-generated content.
- The EU has classified court-related AI systems as “high-risk,” requiring strict oversight.
- The UK Judiciary emphasizes verification of AI-generated research.
- Many jurisdictions require certification of AI use in court filings.
This rapidly evolving landscape raises critical questions that every judge and lawyer must consider:
- How should courts balance innovation and control? NSW’s rapid pivot from restriction to regulation offers valuable lessons
- What’s driving different jurisdictional approaches to AI use and disclosure requirements?
- How can courts evaluate which AI platforms meet their security and compliance needs?
- What verification standards should courts require for AI-generated content?
We’ve assembled an exceptional panel of judges, law professors and trial lawyers who are actively shaping AI policy in their courts and practices. Join us for this critical discussion that will shape the future of legal practice in the AI era.
Who Should Attend
- Judges and court administrators grappling with AI policies
- Trial lawyers navigating new AI requirements
- Legal technologists implementing AI solutions
- Law firm technology partners
- Legal innovation officers
Expert Speakers:
- Hon. Xavier Rodrigues, Federal District Judge, Western District of Texas, US Government, US Courts
- Hon. Allison Goddard, U.S. Magistrate Judge, United States District Court for the Southern District of California
- Professor William Hamilton, Senior Legal Skills Professor and Director, UF Law International Center for Automated Information Retrieval
- Philippe Doyle Gray, Barrister, 8 Wentworth Chambers
- Jonathan Friedman, First-Chair Litigator, Co-Founder, DataGavel
- John Tredennick (Moderator), Founder and CEO, Merlin Search Technologies
Speakers:
Hon. Xavier Rodriguez serves as a United States District Judge for the Western District of Texas and is a former Texas Supreme Court Justice. A graduate of Harvard University, he holds advanced degrees from the University of Texas and Duke University’s Bolch Judicial Institute. Before taking the bench, he was a partner at Fulbright & Jaworski (now Norton Rose Fulbright) and was board-certified in labor and employment law.
Judge Rodriguez is a recognized authority on e-discovery and legal technology, serving on The Sedona Conference Judicial Advisory Board and the Georgetown Advanced E-Discovery Institute Advisory Board. He is the editor of Essentials of E-Discovery and has received numerous accolades, including the Texas Bar Foundation’s Samuel Pessarra Outstanding Jurist Award and the State Bar of Texas Gene Cavin Award for Excellence in CLE. He currently serves as Distinguished Visiting Jurist-in-Residence at St. Mary’s University School of Law and is a member of the American Law Institute.
Hon. Allison Goddard U.S. District Court, Southern District of California, San Diego, CA, USA Judge Allison Goddard was sworn in as a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of California in August 2019. She graduated from Boston College in 1993 and received her J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law in 2000.
Judge Goddard spent the first half of her legal career representing corporate defendants in litigation at Cooley LLP and her own law firm, Jaczko Goddard LLP. In 2011, she shifted her practice to representing plaintiffs in complex and intellectual property litigation. She has tried several cases, including class actions and patent infringement disputes. Judge Goddard speaks regularly on eDiscovery and technology in the law. She teaches trial practice and coaches a mock trial team at a local high school. She recently traveled to Uzbekistan to promote the rule of law and judicial independence.
William Hamilton is a University of Florida Levin College of Law Skills Professor. Professor Hamilton teaches electronic discovery, data analytics, and complex litigation. Mr. Hamilton is also the Executive Director of the International Center for Automated Information Retrieval at the law school.
Prior to joining the UF law faculty, Mr. Hamilton served as the electronic discovery partner for his national law firm. Mr. Hamilton has taught electronic discovery at the University of Florida for the past decade and is the co-author of the LexisNexis Practice Guide Florida e-Discovery and Evidence and co-author of A Student Electronic Discovery Primer: An Essential Companion for Civil Procedure Courses. Mr. Hamilton is also the General Editor of the LexisNexis Practice Guide: Florida Contract Litigation. He is a neutral arbitrator and mediator for the World Intellectual Property Organization and the author of numerous domain name dispute decisions. He has been recognized in Chambers USA, Florida Legal Elite, Best Lawyers in America, and Florida Super Lawyers.
Philippe Doyle Gray is a barrister at 8 Wentworth Chambers in Sydney, Australia, specializing in commercial litigation with nearly three decades of experience. He focuses on cases involving allegations of criminality, fraud, and serious misconduct, particularly in white-collar crime and business partnership disputes. As an experienced strategic litigator, he excels at complex cases requiring detailed analysis and creative thinking. He has served in various positions at the New South Wales Bar Association, including as Honorary Secretary.
With a background in industrial chemistry, Philippe is known for pioneering technology adoption in legal practice, running a paperless office since 2010. He was the first non-North American lawyer elected to the American Bar Association’s Law Practice Division governing council and authored “The Pillars of Digital Security.” Since 2020, he has focused on artificial intelligence applications in law and currently serves on the New South Wales Law Society’s AI Taskforce, where he helps guide the profession’s approach to emerging technologies.
Jonathan Friedman is a first-chair litigator who serves as national and regional counsel for companies across multiple industries, including automotive, consumer products, and transportation. Named one of ALM Law.Com’s “Legal Innovators” in 2023, he combines traditional litigation skills with data analytics to manage high-value matters and large-volume dockets. As Co-Founder of DataGavel, a legaltech platform transforming tort litigation, he brings practical insight into how technology can reduce costs and improve outcomes.
A Fellow of both the American Bar Foundation and Litigation Counsel of America, Johnny has been recognized by Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, and profiled in The AmLaw Litigation Daily for his data-centric approach to litigation. He regularly trains lawyers nationwide on early case assessment, right-sizing litigation strategy, and implementing smart pre-trial and trial practices that leverage technology while maintaining high ethical standards.
John Tredennick (JT@Merlin.Tech) is the CEO and founder of Merlin Search Technologies, a software company leveraging generative AI and cloud technologies to make investigation and discovery workflows faster, easier, and less expensive. Prior to founding Merlin, Tredennick had a distinguished career as a trial lawyer and litigation partner at a national law firm.
With his expertise in legal technology, he founded Catalyst in 2000, an international ediscovery technology company that was acquired in 2019 by a large public company. Tredennick regularly speaks and writes on legal technology and AI topics and has authored eight books and dozens of articles. He has also served as Chair of the ABA’s Law Practice Management Section.