Stanford CodeX And DLA Piper Host Inaugural Conference Advancing The UN AI For Good Platform On AI In The Law And Justice
Bringing together key stakeholders to discuss, deliberate, aid in progressing AI and the law is ... More vitally important.
In today's column, I highlight a recent event that serves as a continuation of my ongoing coverage of the latest in AI & Law. Loyal readers know that I persistently aim to dive into the latest innovations in both the law as applied to AI, and the use of AI as applied to the law, including advances in AI that aid in performing legal reasoning tasks.
On April 9, 2025, an important conference took place at Stanford University that entwined the famous Stanford Law School (SLS) CodeX, the global law firm DLA Piper, and the United Nations (UN) AI for Good platform. This was an inaugural Law Track Conference examining and mindfully analyzing the transformative power of AI in law and justice.
Let's talk about it.
This analysis of an innovative AI breakthrough is part of my ongoing Forbes column coverage on the latest in AI, including identifying and explaining various impactful AI complexities (see the link here).
Taking place on a sunny day in Stanford, California, this seminal event provided an enriching forum for top-notch legal minds and AI luminaries to come together and discuss the future direction of AI and the law.
A wide range of topics explored regulatory and legal ramifications underlying the advancement of AI. Those aware of the significance of Responsible AI well know that we must be vigilant in trying to keep AI on a proper ethical and legal path, meanwhile balancing the desire to push stridently ahead with state-of-the-art AI developments (see my coverage at the link here).
This conference was hosted by CodeX (the Stanford Center for Legal Informatics), in conjunction with the multinational law firm DLA Piper. Their joint focus was on the UN AI for Good platform, which I've discussed previously in my column. For example, I closely examined the UN's overarching approach to applying AI to the Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs), see the link here. Etc.
In a moment, I will briefly walk you through the major topics that were lively discussed during the all-day event. To see more details about the event, take a look at the official conference website at the link here. A video recording was made of the conference and the video might end up being posted at the conference website or the main CodeX site (see the link here).
In case you are unfamiliar with the AI & Law domain, CodeX is famously known as a keystone leader in the AI and law field.
As per the summary description on the CodeX website (see the link here): 'At CodeX, researchers, lawyers, entrepreneurs, and technologists work side-by-side to advance the frontier of legal technology, bringing new levels of legal efficiency, transparency, and access to legal systems around the world. CodeX's emphasis is on the research and development of computational law (complaw) --- the branch of legal informatics concerned with the mechanization of legal reasoning.'
Roland Vogl is the Executive Director of CodeX and the Executive Director of the Stanford Program in Law, Science, and Technology. Megan Ma is the Associate Director of CodeX and the Associate Director of the Stanford Program in Law, Science, and Technology. Michael Genesereth is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University and Associate Professor, by courtesy, of Law Research Director, at CodeX.
An integral unit within the Stanford Law School, CodeX taps into the incredible resources of SLS and Stanford University as a whole. The Stanford Law School (SLS) at Stanford University is a longstanding law school that was established in 1893 and ranks as No. 1 (tie) in the recently posted 2025 U.S. News & World Report listing of best law schools.
SLS is uniquely positioned in Silicon Valley: 'At SLS, we are driven by a passion for new ideas and a commitment to transformative solutions. True to our roots in Silicon Valley and our Stanford heritage, we focus on the future — not the past. Experimentation, exploration, and the translation of new knowledge into entrepreneurial solutions: All are in our DNA. So is interdisciplinary learning, pioneered at Stanford' (per the SLS official website, at the link here).
For this event, Codex teamed up with DLA Piper.
DLA Piper is a prominent multinational law firm with offices in over 40 countries across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, and Africa.
According to a recently posted news piece on Law.com (March 31, 2025), DLA Piper has surpassed $4B in revenue and is nearing a count of 5,000 lawyers. 2024 was their eighth consecutive year of revenue growth. Profit margins of 27% were attributed to efficiencies gained via AI and other new technologies, along with the sharing of resources across their global offices.
For more details about DLA Piper, see their website at the link here.
The UN AI for Good program or platform was established in 2017. Besides extensively pursuing best practices and insightful research on the use of AI for good, such as implementing the United Nations SDGs, vital reports and analyses are developed and globally made available to the public at large.
Perhaps their most visible activity is their annual summit.
Coming up this year on July 8 – 11, 2025, the annual event is a huge showcase and gathering that draws attention and attendance from throughout the world. Taking place with over 40 UN Sister Agencies, the summit is in Geneva, Switzerland, and is co-convened with the government of Switzerland.
For details about the upcoming July 2025 UN AI for Good summit, see the link here.
Now that you have been brought up to speed on the overall context, let's quickly cover selected highlights of the April 9, 2025, inaugural Law Track Conference that took place at the Stanford University campus.
The welcoming message was delivered by Danny Tobey, DLA Piper, setting the stage for the rest of the event. The closing remarks by John Gibson, DLA Piper, emphasized crucial points made throughout the day and encouraged attendees to further pursue the many notable topics covered.
There were five major segments underpinning the event:
Each segment consisted of a moderated panel. Panelists had been carefully chosen and the moderators ensured lively debates took place. Attendees were able to directly ask questions of the panels.
Nicely, attendees also had direct access to panelists after each segment and were able to garner individual discussions. Some conferences seem to rush the panelists off the stage, and they disappear without a chance for attendees to engage in one-on-one dialogues. Thankfully, the design for this conference tended to encourage personal interaction with panelists.
Bravo.
Let's next take a look at each of the five segments.
As noted in the official program guide, this segment entailed 'Ethical considerations surrounding the development, deployment, and regulation of AI technologies; exploring the frameworks for responsible AI, addressing issues such as algorithmic bias, fairness, transparency, and accountability. '
Moderator: Ashley Carr, DLA Piper
Panelists: Bogdana Rakova, Ashley Carr, Diane Homolak, Kim van Sparrentak
For my coverage of Responsible AI governance including frameworks and regulatory matters, see the link here.
Per the program guide, this segment covered: 'Security challenges posed by AI systems, including vulnerabilities, adversarial attacks, and the need for robust defense mechanisms; use of red teaming exercises to showcase the effectiveness of proactive security measures in identifying and mitigating potential threats.'
Moderator: Sam Tyner-Monroe, DLA Piper
Panelists: Kathy Baxter, Dan Hendrycks, Christina Q. Knight, Shreya Rajpal, Sam Tyner-Monroe
For my coverage of AI safety and security, see the link here.
The program guide aptly depicted this segment as follows: 'Exploring AI that seeks to accomplish bias-free talent searches, especially relevant when most companies will be required to identify talent without ever meeting face-to-face for the foreseeable future. Exploring the evolving relationship between AI technologies and the workforce, discussing potential disruptions, job displacement, considerations on responsibilities related to professional conduct, and opportunities for upskilling.'
Panelists: Samuel Dahan, Veena Dubal, Zev Eigen, Neil Sahota
For my coverage of AI in the hiring and firing process, along with managing a human workforce, see the link here.
As indicated in the program guide, this segment examined: 'Focus on the need for global collaboration and governance frameworks to address the cross-border implications of AI development and deployment, including regulatory considerations like the Executive Order and EU AI Act. Present the key differences and highlights, contrasting the U.S. and EU approaches to AI risk management. Discussions may revolve around data sharing and interoperability standards.'
Panelists: Marci Harris, Nathaniel Persily, Tony Samp, Dina Waked, Heng Wang
For my coverage of global collaboration and international and national AI regulations, see the link here.
The program guide made these points about this segment: 'Highlighting the positive impact of AI on addressing societal challenges, such as access to justice, healthcare, education, environmental sustainability, and poverty alleviation; share case studies and initiatives showcasing AI applications for social good can be presented to inspire collaboration and innovation in this space. '
Moderators: Margaret Hagan, Stanford Law School; Lisa Dewey, DLA Piper
Panelists: Arghya Bhattacharya, Lisa Dewey, Margaret Hagan, Beth Henderson, Maya Markovich, Sateesh Nori
For my coverage of AI for social good, see the link here.
Bringing together stakeholders to thoughtfully examine and make progress on these AI for Good considerations is a much-needed endeavor. Face-to-face discussions are the best way to break down barriers and get open dialogue to occur.
I've discussed previously that there is too much polarization seeping into the AI realm. Just as polarization seems to have invaded all walks of life, the same is happening in the AI field. It is unfortunately all too easy to take a one-sided view on these complex topics.
The beauty of an event like this is that panelists and attendees were brought together in one place at one time to carry on good-faith debates and dialogue. It was refreshing to witness some who have been especially dogmatic sing a more open-minded tune when directly and with apt composure addressing multiple sides to these complicated matters.
Hats off and congrats go to CodeX, DLA Piper, and the UN AI for Good in recognizing the crucial nature of addressing specifically the law and AI domain as its own special track. There is no doubt that the topic of AI & Law will continue to expand and reach all elements of where AI is headed.
I've got my fingers crossed that this inaugural Law Track Conference will become an annual event. There is a lot of work still to be done and it will be playing out year after year. No simple solutions are waiting around for us.
Rest assured that many challenges and dynamic opportunities are on the exciting roadway ahead.
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