Professor Lederer Participates in International Symposium Hosted by Supreme Court of Korea
Fredric Lederer, Chancellor Professor of Law and director of the Center for Legal and Court Technology (CLCT), a joint project of William & Mary Law School and the National Center for State Courts, recently attended the fall 2016 International Judicial Symposium in Korea held by the Supreme Court of Korea. Lederer was invited to speak at the event, which focused on the “Fourth Industrial Revolution” and its impact on the future of society and the legal field.
The symposium featured presentations on topics such as the coming impact of artificial intelligence on legal systems, the Netherlands’s new electronic filing system, and a new Netherlands system, adopted in the UK and part of Canada, that facilitates online divorce proceedings. Lederer spoke on “Future Adjudication in the Age of Courtroom Technology,” emphasizing the latest advances in courtroom technology being pioneered by CLCT in the Law School’s McGlothlin Courtroom.
Lederer said the learning experience was not limited to the presentations at the symposium. During his stay in Seoul, he and other delegates were able to tour the technology headquarters for the Korean courts. Later, he attended hearings in one of the country’s high-tech courtrooms. Lederer was “quite fascinated” by the headquarters, which he described as “mission control” for the country’s entire legal system. He was pleased to be told by one judge that the McGlothlin Courtroom was viewed as “the benchmark” for high-tech courtrooms.
The symposium comes during an overhaul of the McGlothlin Courtroom and in a time of increasing adoption of technological innovations in legal systems across the globe. Lederer shared that CLCT is in the midst of a massive infrastructure upgrade that will replace almost all of the control systems in order to improve video resolution and be more compatible with police body cameras and aerial surveillance.
Lederer’s favorite part of the symposium was his interactions with other speakers and hosts.
“The hospitality was extraordinary, and the ability to talk to other speakers was wonderful,” he said. “They were great experts in their fields, and we hope that a number of them will be coming here over the next couple of years.”
In fact, a plan is already in place for the president of Bloomberg Law, David Perla, to visit CLCT. Perla will likely be one of many future guests to the Center as it continues its mission of advancing the efficient use of technology in the administration of justice.
You can read Mr. Perla's post about the symposium here.
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