Watching What the Law
Must Not Miss.
The IFELT Observatory is a permanent, independent monitoring body dedicated to tracking the intersection of law and emerging technology — providing the global legal community with the intelligence, analysis, and reports it needs to stay ahead of the technologies reshaping justice.
The Case for a Dedicated Legal Technology Observatory
The IFELT Observatory was established because the legal world needed something that did not yet exist: a permanent, independent, internationally-oriented body dedicated to monitoring the intersection of emerging technology and law — not from a technology perspective, but from a legal and justice perspective.
Technology Moves Faster Than Law
Emerging technologies are deployed at a pace that legislative and judicial systems were not designed to match. By the time a law is drafted, the technology it seeks to regulate has already evolved. The Observatory exists to close that gap — tracking developments in real time so that the legal community is never caught unprepared.
Legal Professionals Need Reliable Intelligence
Judges, lawyers, legislators, and regulators cannot be expected to monitor every technological development relevant to their work. The Observatory curates, analyses, and contextualises that intelligence — translating complex technological developments into legally meaningful insights.
The Stakes Are High
The technologies being monitored are not peripheral. Artificial intelligence is already influencing judicial decisions. Deepfakes are being introduced as evidence. Quantum computing threatens the cryptographic foundations of digital security. Getting the legal response right matters — for justice, for rights, and for the rule of law.
No Jurisdiction Can Act Alone
Emerging technologies do not respect borders. A deepfake produced in one country can be used as evidence in another. An AI system trained in one jurisdiction can make decisions affecting people in dozens of others. The Observatory takes a genuinely international perspective — monitoring developments across legal systems and jurisdictions.
"The legal community cannot govern what it does not understand. The Observatory exists to ensure that understanding is always within reach."
Judge Wassim Ibrahim — Founding President, IFELT
Eight Domains. Continuous Monitoring.
The Observatory monitors eight core domains at the intersection of law and emerging technology — tracking legislative developments, judicial decisions, regulatory actions, and scholarly debate across jurisdictions. Select any domain to explore the themes under active monitoring.
Intelligence Shaped by Legal Expertise
The Observatory does not simply monitor — it analyses. Every significant development tracked by the Observatory is contextualised by expert legal analysis, drawing on the knowledge and experience of IFELT's international network of judges, lawyers, academics, and technologists.
Expert Commentaries
Timely written analysis from senior legal practitioners, judges, academics, and technologists — contextualising significant developments in law and technology as they happen. Commentaries are published on a rolling basis and made freely available.
Thematic Analyses
In-depth analytical pieces examining a specific legal or technological development in detail — tracing its origins, mapping its implications across jurisdictions, and identifying the legal questions it raises. Thematic analyses are longer-form and peer-reviewed.
Expert Panels
Structured exchanges between multiple experts with different perspectives on a significant development — presenting the range of informed legal opinion on contested questions. Panel discussions are published in edited form.
The IFELT Expert Network
Observatory analysis is produced by and for legal professionals. Contributors to the Observatory are drawn from IFELT's international network — spanning multiple jurisdictions, legal traditions, and areas of specialisation.
Join the NetworkJudges & Judicial Officers
Founding network
Legal Academics
Founding network
Practising Lawyers
Founding network
Technology Specialists
Founding network
Policy Experts
Founding network
International Law Specialists
Founding network
The Record of What the Law Faces
Observatory reports translate monitoring into knowledge — providing the legal community with authoritative, accessible, and actionable intelligence on the most significant developments at the intersection of law and emerging technology.
Annual State of Law & Technology Report
IFELT's flagship annual publication — a comprehensive survey of the most significant legal and technological developments of the year across all eight monitoring domains. The Annual Report is the definitive reference for legal professionals navigating the intersection of law and emerging technology.
Domain Monitoring Reports
Periodic reports on developments within a specific monitoring domain — tracking legislative changes, judicial decisions, regulatory actions, and scholarly debate. Domain reports provide the depth that the Annual Report cannot.
Rapid Response Briefings
Short, timely briefings published in response to significant developments — a landmark court decision, a major regulatory action, a new piece of legislation — providing immediate legal analysis for practitioners who need to respond quickly.
Forthcoming Publications
AI in the Courtroom: A Global Survey
Artificial Intelligence · Domain Monitoring Report
Deepfakes and the Law: Emerging Responses
Deepfakes · Domain Monitoring Report
Quantum Computing and Legal Security
Quantum Technologies · Domain Monitoring Report
Annual State of Law & Technology Report
All Domains · Annual Report
All Observatory reports are published open-access and made freely available to the global legal community. Subscribe below to be notified when new reports are published.
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