Av. drd. Alexandru Silviu Goga, Lector univ.dr. Roxana Bularca, Centrul de Studii de Drept European (CSDE) al Institutului de Cercetări Juridice din cadrul Academiei Române și Societatea de Științe Juridice (JURIDICE.ro) organizează Conferinţa națională Dreptul noilor tehnologii (ed. 3) 14 mai 2025 | 14:00
De la Cod în Sala de Judecată: Abordări Transdisciplinare între Drept și Inteligență Artificială
AI in the Courtroom: The Silent Revolution Reshaping Justice
The Legal World’s Best-Kept Secret
While headlines scream about AI taking over creative jobs and customer service, a quiet revolution is unfolding in courthouse corridors and law offices across Romania and beyond. As both an attorney and AI doctoral candidate at Transilvania University in Brașov, I’ve had a front-row seat to this fascinating transformation.
Spoiler alert: The robots aren’t wearing judicial robes… yet.
The Elephant in the Legal Room
Let’s address what everyone in the legal profession whispers about but rarely admits publicly: AI has already infiltrated law practices and courtrooms. Our 2024 study revealed something fascinating – judges and lawyers are using identical technology in completely different ways.
Lawyers have embraced AI like Formula 1 drivers, pushing it to maximum speed. They’re using it for everything from drafting documents and legal research to contract analysis and litigation prediction.
„If you had told me ten years ago that an algorithm would write my contracts while I just reviewed them, I would have laughed. Today, I only laugh at how much time I wasted writing them from scratch… and the invoices I sent for that work.”
Meanwhile, judges approach AI like a shy intern – they allow it to conduct research and prepare summaries, but keep final decisions strictly in human hands. As one judge confided: „I use AI the way I use my glasses – it helps me see better, but I still decide where to look.”
The Digital Detective in Bankruptcy Court
In insolvency proceedings, AI performs in minutes what would take a lawyer days:
- Automatically scanning and analyzing bankruptcy petitions
- Verifying documentation completeness
- Detecting red flags for potential fraud
- Analyzing financial statements and identifying irregularities
„Insolvency is like a financial puzzle with thousands of pieces. AI can see the pattern while we’re still sorting the edges.”
The Professional Secret Everyone Knows
Here’s what isn’t publicly discussed: Romanian judges already use ChatGPT and Google Gemini for research and case summarization. They don’t do it officially, but many privately admit to „consulting” artificial intelligence.
Similarly, law firms in Bucharest, Cluj, and Brașov have already integrated customized AI solutions. Clients don’t always know that the first draft of their contract was generated by an algorithm and merely refined by a human attorney.
Think about it: when your doctor prescribes treatment, you don’t ask if they consulted medical databases. Similarly, should it matter if your lawyer verified your case with AI assistance?
The Extended Legal Mind
Using Stiegler’s concept of „exosomatization,” AI effectively becomes an extension of the legal mind. It allows us to process vast amounts of legal information and identify patterns that might escape the human eye.
„With AI, lawyers are like legal superheroes – they have analytical superpowers but retain the humanity and judgment that defines the profession.”
The Future: Collaboration, Not Replacement
The future belongs to legal professionals who know how to harness technology, not those who fear it. Success will come from balancing innovation with fundamental legal principles.
„The best lawyer of the future won’t be just human or just machine, but a legal centaur – the perfect combination of human intuition and AI analytical power.”
Technology won’t replace lawyers or judges – it will replace lawyers and judges who don’t use technology. The AI revolution in law doesn’t mean robots in robes, but augmented human professionals using intelligent tools to deliver faster, more accessible, and perhaps even fairer justice.
Want to learn how to become that augmented legal professional? Join my upcoming workshop on „Practical AI Tools for Legal Professionals” next month.
Remember: In a world where the law moves at a snail’s pace and technology at the speed of light, the magic happens when they finally start dancing together.
Alexandru Silviu Goga is an attorney and AI doctoral candidate at Transilvania University in Brașov, specializing in the application of artificial intelligence in industrial and legal practice.