Legal Current

Editor’s note: Click here for video of this event.

Thomson Reuters, Legal CEO Peter Warwick and former Director General of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei sat at a roundtable onstage in an auditorium at LegalTech New York and talked about the world, its people, technologies that threaten civil society and democracy, and the ones that may offer it hope.

During his opening remarks, Warwick discussed why a global view is more important than ever before: “Operating as a global concern has been rich in opportunities. For most US and UK firms operating internationally, growth over the past decade has been much stronger outside their home countries, whether it has been supporting the global investments of Sovereign Wealth Funds; building China practices; or supporting the global M&A, tax and compliance needs of multi-national corporations. In emerging countries we also see a growing number of law firms and legal services suppliers who define their playing field as global rather than national.”

Warwick noted that technology has always been a tool that can be used for good as well as oppressive purposes. Information and communication technologies have helped to facilitate the overthrow of democratically elected governments in Latin America, and they have helped to enable totalitarian regimes to maintain power and control over their populations in Central and Eastern Europe.

But he also noted that technology can be a very powerful force for positive change. “Intelligent information can be a tremendously effective tool both in the hands of democratic governments as well as in the hands of citizens,” Warwick said. “For example, using automated classification systems can help to codify the law, and make it more transparent and accessible to people. Access to justice through the development of a modern and efficient court system to quickly resolve disputes is a key component of the rule of law and of a legal system that works for the benefit of all.”

Dr. ElBaradei was brilliant. You might think that a career as head of a global organization that monitors and manages nuclear weapons proliferation would have something of a bias against technology, but Dr. ElBaradei also sees technology as an important part of the answer to injustice and oppression.

He talked about the use of social media technology to put oppression on trial in front of the world, and held up the recent election in Iran as an example. “Now, when an atrocity occurs, a photo can be put on Twitter for all to see.” He also said that Facebook has been used successfully to shine a light on government wrongdoings, and said that several Facebook pages have been helpful in his efforts to promote democracy.

Dr. ElBaradei has been a player on the world stage for decades and his examples from history and his own experience spanned World War II to the present day.

John Bringardner recaps the session with Warwick and ElBaradei on Law.com.