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Science & Tech

LexisNexis invites Kenyan legal community to shape AI tools for better access to justice

By Odipo RiagaOctober 19, 20263 min read

LexisNexis invites Kenyan legal community to shape AI tools for better access to justice

LexisNexis has announced a new initiative that aims to improve access to justice across Kenya through the careful application of artificial intelligence. The company believes that combining global technological capability with deep local legal expertise can help legal professionals navigate vast bodies of legislation and case law more efficiently. Ian Andrews chief executive of LexisNexis South Africa emphasized that technology should accelerate human legal expertise rather than attempt to replace it. This approach seeks to reduce the time that passes between seeking legal remedy and actually receiving it.

Access to justice remains hindered in many African markets because comprehensive current legal information is often fragmented or difficult to obtain. Judges practitioners academics and other justice sector stakeholders need reliable legislation case law and legal commentary to make informed decisions that strengthen the rule of law. Andrews noted that law may exist on paper but its value diminishes when the people it serves cannot readily access and use the information required to exercise their legal rights effectively.

Andrews stated that access to legal remedy equality under the law transparency of the law and an independent judiciary form fundamental components of the rule of law. He added that advancing these principles is fundamental for economic development social cohesion and investor confidence across the country. The chief executive stressed that laws are there to protect citizens and regulate society but they become ineffective if they cannot be effectively applied in the lives of the people they are intended to serve.

Artificial intelligence is already helping to narrow the distance between access to justice and the practical application of legal knowledge in daily practice. Legal professionals have traditionally spent substantial amounts of time researching legislation finding precedents consolidating documents and interrogating large volumes of information before legal analysis can begin. Andrews explained that AI is particularly effective at aggregating complex information and could help legal professionals navigate large bodies of legislation and case law summarise material and identify information relevant to the questions they are examining.

The technology should accelerate legal expertise rather than attempt to replace it according to Andrews who described AI as a tool to help navigate more effectively become more productive and become more effective in how the law is interpreted. Judgment nuance experience and critical thinking remain human responsibilities which is why legal specific AI tools were developed to ensure useful AI capabilities are matched with localised human expertise and experience. Collaboration with stakeholders in Kenya's justice system is key to achieving digital solutions that provide utility supporting the rule of law.

LexisNexis has called for collaboration with Kenya's legal profession judiciary academic institutions regulatory bodies and other stakeholders in the justice system to participate in shaping how legal technology and AI are applied. The objective is to establish what tools and content should be developed or leveraged to support the continued digital transformation of Kenya's justice system. Andrews urged local expertise to guide how global technology is applied ensuring solutions reflect Kenya's unique legal environment and priorities while helping to drive meaningful change forward.

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