International Association for AI and Law

The International Association for AI and Law (IAAIL) is a global non-profit organisation dedicated to advancing research and development in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Law. It was established to promote interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge exchange in the legal and AI communities. IAAIL organises the biennial International Conference on AI and Law (ICAIL), which serves as a platform for presenting research results, discussing practical applications, and fostering international collaboration.

The association’s work includes key areas of research such as formal models of legal reasoning, computational models of argumentation, legal text classification, machine learning for legal applications, and AI-driven legal information retrieval. The conference proceedings are published by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).

ICAIL is transitioning to an annual event starting in 2025, with the 20th edition to be held at Northwestern University, Chicago, in June 2025, and the 21st edition in 2026 at Singapore Management University. In addition, the association publishes a journal, Artificial Intelligence and Law, with special issues such as the upcoming one on Large Language Models (LLMs) in the legal domain.

IAAIL provides several awards during ICAIL, including the Carole Hafner Award for Best Paper, the Donald H. Berman Award for Best Student Paper, and the Peter Jackson Award for Best Innovative Application Paper. The association also facilitates doctoral consortiums and workshops for PhD researchers to share ideas and receive feedback from experts in the field.

Membership in IAAIL is free and open to anyone interested in AI and Law. Members receive access to the association’s mailing list and are encouraged to contribute to the advancement of AI applications in the legal sector.

The International Association for AI and Law (IAAIL) was founded in 1987 to promote research and development in the intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Law. Its main objective is to provide a platform for collaboration among scholars, researchers, and practitioners in the fields of AI and Law. The founding of IAAIL coincided with the launch of the first International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Law (ICAIL), which was held in Boston, USA, at Northeastern University. This conference marked the beginning of a series of biennial events that became the primary forum for presenting advancements in AI and its application to legal reasoning and systems.

From its inception, IAAIL aimed to foster interdisciplinary collaboration, with a focus on topics such as legal reasoning, automated text classification, and machine learning applications in the legal sector. The early years of the organisation saw significant contributions from pioneers like Carole Hafner and Donald Berman, who were instrumental in founding both the ICAIL conference and the journal Artificial Intelligence and Law. The journal became a leading publication for academic research in this field, launched in 1992.

Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, ICAIL continued to grow, with conferences held at various prestigious institutions, such as the University of Maryland in 1995 and the University of Melbourne in 1997. Each conference introduced new research areas, such as the formalisation of legal reasoning, AI-based decision support systems, and the use of machine learning for legal information retrieval.

In 2001, the conference was hosted at Washington University in St. Louis, followed by the University of Edinburgh in 2003. The mid-2000s saw continued expansion, with ICAIL held at the University of Bologna in 2005, focusing on legal knowledge systems and ontologies, and at Stanford University in 2007, which emphasised AI models in legal processes.

IAAIL introduced various awards to recognise outstanding contributions in AI and Law, including the Carole Hafner Award for Best Paper and the Donald H. Berman Award for Best Student Paper. These awards were established in memory of two key figures who had significantly advanced the field through their research and leadership in AI and Law.

By 2013, IAAIL continued to expand its scope, with conferences addressing emerging areas like e-discovery, argumentation frameworks, and machine learning applications. Conferences were held globally, including the National Research Council of Italy in 2013, the University of San Diego in 2015, and King’s College London in 2017.

In 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 18th ICAIL was held online, hosted by the University of São Paulo, Brazil. This marked a shift towards hybrid formats for future conferences, blending virtual and physical attendance options. The 19th edition of ICAIL was held in 2023 at the University of Minho, Portugal, with a focus on AI’s role in legal systems and the ethical implications of AI technologies in legal practice.

In 2024, IAAIL announced that ICAIL would transition to an annual event starting in 2025. The 20th edition will be held at Northwestern University, Chicago, and the 21st edition in 2026 will mark the first ICAIL held in Asia, at Singapore Management University. IAAIL has continued to focus on important areas such as large language models (LLMs) in law, the use of AI in legal reasoning, and automated legal information extraction.

The organisation continues to play a pivotal role in advancing AI and legal research and remains committed to fostering interdisciplinary collaboration through its conferences, journals, and research initiatives.

The goals and purpose of the International Association for AI and Law (IAAIL) are centred around promoting research, collaboration, and the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the legal field. The organisation aims to create a platform where researchers, scholars, and professionals can share knowledge and advancements related to AI applications in law. It encourages interdisciplinary collaboration between legal experts, AI researchers, and technologists to address complex legal challenges through AI technologies.

A key goal of IAAIL is to organise the biennial International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Law (ICAIL), which has been held since 1987. This conference serves as a primary forum for presenting the latest research, discussing practical applications, and fostering international cooperation. Through ICAIL, the association promotes advancements in legal reasoning, argumentation, machine learning, and data mining in the legal domain.

The organisation also works to support the development of AI tools and methods that improve legal processes, such as legal text classification, information retrieval, and decision support systems. IAAIL’s long-term purpose is to bridge the gap between AI and legal practice, ensuring that AI systems are applied ethically and responsibly in the legal sector. The association encourages open access to research and aims to provide valuable resources through its journal, Artificial Intelligence and Law.

The International Association for AI and Law (IAAIL) has made a significant impact on both the AI and legal fields by promoting the use of technology to improve legal processes. Since its founding, the organisation has played a key role in advancing research and development in areas such as legal reasoning, machine learning for law, and AI-driven decision support systems. Through its biennial International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Law (ICAIL), IAAIL has provided an important platform for researchers and professionals to share the latest developments in AI and law.

The impact of IAAIL can also be seen in the advancement of legal technology tools, such as automated legal text classification and information retrieval systems, which have contributed to making legal work more efficient. The association's focus on interdisciplinary collaboration has allowed AI researchers and legal experts to work together, solving complex legal issues using cutting-edge AI methods.

IAAIL’s efforts have also influenced the development of ethical guidelines for AI in law, ensuring that AI systems are used responsibly in legal practice. The organisation's work through conferences, research publications, and collaborative projects has had a lasting impact on the way AI is integrated into the legal profession, improving access to justice and efficiency in legal processes.