Is the law keeping pace with technology to protect people’s rights and uphold transparency and accountability standards? How can public, regulatory and human rights law help ensure technologies are deployed for the benefit of society?

The event is kindly hosted by Fieldfisher.
You can click here to view Sajan Rai’s illustration for the event in full.

Who this event is for:

  • Lawyers involved in all aspects of public, regulatory or human rights law associated with technology. 
  • Communities, and those representing communities, impacted by the use of technology with a human rights or regulatory dimension.  
  • Policy people in Government or NGOs concerned with regulating Big Tech and the use of technology, Automated Decision Making (ADM) and Artificial intelligence (AI).  

In person and online versions:

  • This event is in person with an online / hybrid ticket available for those unable to attend in person. 
  • Online ticket provides access to all plenary sessions and one breakout in the morning and afternoon (these are indicated below).
  • The online version of the event will be made available as recordings to all delegates, in person or online, after the event. We are also seeking to record other popular breakouts for access to all delegates after the event, and will make clear on this page and to all delegates if this becomes possible.
  • In person event concludes with a reception with stunning views over the Thames!

Tickets

  • Standard: £160 in person / £99 Online
    (for those in private practice, Government and public bodies)
  • Discounted: £120 in person / £80 online
    (for NGOs, charities, trainees, pupils and paralegals, researchers and academics at universities)
  • Concession: £60 in person (limited availability) / £50 online (unlimited)
    (for community groups or small charities with under £250k income)
  • Student (Online only): £20
    (for students in full-time education making the booking using a valid university email address)

We will consider requests for free tickets, please contact [email protected].

Programme

09:00-09.30: Welcome and refreshments

09.30-10.00: Opening remarks and framing the day 

10:00-11:00: Big Tech in government and law
How is tech being pitched to government, and how is Government pitching this to the electorate, and more importantly, how will that impact on safeguards to human rights, transparency and the environment?

  • Chair: Ellen Lefley, JUSTICE
  • Eleonor Duhs, Bates Wells
  • Sherif Elsayed-Ali, The Future of Technology Institute
  • Jonathan Peters, Fieldfisher
  • Dr Ana Valdivia, University of Oxford
  • Caroline Wilson Palow, Privacy International

11:00-11:15: Break

11:15-12:00: Algorithms: a 101 for lawyers

  • Professor Reuben Binns, University of Oxford

12:00-13:00: Morning breakouts

1. Fairness, transparency and accountability in tech (also available to online ticket holders)

  • Chair: Joe Summers, Public Law Project
  • Khatija Hafesji, Monckton Chambers
  • Mutale Nkonde, AI for the People
  • Julia Smakman, The Ada Lovelace Institute
  • Professor Joe Tomlinson, University of York

2. Data law: The public / private crossover
When you have established that public authorities have got things wrong using data technologies, what remedies could be used beyond those available in conventional public law?

  • Dr Oliver Butler, University of Nottingham
  • Adam Straw KC, Doughty Street Chambers
  • More speakers TBC

3. Public procurement, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Automated Decision Making (ADM)
Our panel will address balancing risks and benefits in Government procurement involving AI and ADM, and current and incoming guidance and legislation affecting this rapidly growing area. 

  • Jonathan Blunden, Sharpe Pritchard
  • Rachel Coldicutt OBE, Careful Industries
  • Jake Hurfurt, Big Brother Watch
  • Azeem Suterwalla KC, Monckton Chambers

4. Children’s rights and technology

  • Dr Janis Wong, The Law Society and The Alan Turing Institute
  • Lorna Cropper, Fieldfisher
  • Stephen Kinsella, Law for Change and Clean Up the Internet
  • More speakers TBC

13:00-14:00: Lunch

14:00-15:00: Public law, human rights and technology: An update

Our panel will look at recent domestic and relevant international caselaw, especially where precedents are being set.  They will also look at incoming domestic legislation, such as the Data (use and access) Bill, the AI Regulation Bill, and the potential for enforcement of rights and accountability.   

  • Chair: Caroline Selman, Public Law Project
  • Dr Susie Alegre, Garden Court Chambers
  • Alan Bates, Monckton Chambers
  • Rosa Curling, Foxglove
  • Professor Lorna McGregor, University of Essex
  • Ravi Naik, AWO Legal

15:00-15:20: Break

15:20-16:20: Afternoon breakouts

5. AI and ADM in welfare benefits (also available to online ticket holders)

Does the DWPs deployment of technology bring with it the risk of unlawful or discriminatory decision making? How would we know, and what can be done to protect those at risk? What new rights could support us? The panel will look at how to obtain information in ‘black box’ situations, and what standards of transparency reporting are needed to ensure accountability. The panel will also look at how the law can, should and could be applied where ADM is used to make decisions affecting those reliant on good decision making at the DWP.

  • Chair: Aoife O’Reilly, Public Law Project
  • Matt Ahluwalia, Garden Court Chambers
  • Tom Royston, Garden Court North
  • Jeni Tennison, Connected by Data

6. Technology and policing
From facial recognition technology, GPS tagging to stop and search decision making, deployment of technology in policing has been fraught with controversy and legal challenge. Our panel discusses the threats and potential harms as well as the benefits of police use of technology as well as recent litigation challenging use of such technology.    

  • Chair: Dr Rosalili Wan Rosli, University of Bradford
  • Jodie Bradshaw, StopWatch
  • Derek Dempsey, Director of Empyrric and member of West Midlands Police Ethics Committee
  • Katrina Ffrench, UNJUST CIC
  • Megan Goulding and Katy Watts, Liberty

7.  Regulating the gig economy
What role does and should the law have in regulating the gig economy to protect workers rights? How must employment mediated by such technologies balance efficiency and flexibility, with fairness and transparency? 

  • Chair: Angel Martin-Caballero, University of Manchester
  • Cansu Safak, Worker Info Exchange
  • Tim Sharp, Trade Union Congress
  • Alice Stevens, University of Law
  • Aislinn Kelly-Kyth, Blackstone Chambers
  • Natalia Rodriguez, ActionAid UK

8. Tech innovation and deployment in the social justice sector
This session will look at current and developing work in the UK social justice sector where technology and data use is being deployed to improve services and impact.

  • Chair: Catriona Filmer, Fieldfisher
  • Finbar Mulholland, Access Social Care
  • Francesca Jarvis, Chayn
  • Connected by Data (speaker TBC)
  • More speakers TBC

16:20-16:30: Break

16:30-17:30: Can public law ensure that technologies are deployed in the service of democracy?
Big Tech is interwoven into our daily lives and is reshaping our democracies affecting everything from political discourse to the scrutiny of government decision making. What role does public law have in protecting us, especially people from marginalised communities, from its adverse effects? How do we future-proof regulation and how do we promote democracy and accountability in the UK and beyond?

  • Chair: Arianne Griffith, Public Law Project
  • Dr Seeta Peña Gangadharan, London School of Economics
  • Swee Leng Harris, Independent consultant on legal strategy and tech policy
  • George Peretz KC, Monckton Chambers
  • Another speaker TBC

17:30-18:30: Drinks reception (TBC)

With the kind support of Fieldfisher.


9 June 2025
9:00 am - 5:30 pm

Book now

Fieldfisher London

Riverbank House, 2 Swan lane
London
EC4R 3TT

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Standard Ticket (In-person)

Price: £160.00
VAT: £0.00
Total: £160.00

Standard Ticket (Online only)

Price: £99.00
VAT: £0.00
Total: £99.00

Discounted Ticket (In-person)

Price: £120.00
VAT: £0.00
Total: £120.00

Discounted Ticket (Online only)

Price: £80.00
VAT: £0.00
Total: £80.00

Concession Ticket (In-person)

Price: £60.00
VAT: £0.00
Total: £60.00

Concession Ticket (Online only)

Price: £50.00
VAT: £0.00
Total: £50.00

Student Ticket (Online only)

Price: £20.00
VAT: £0.00
Total: £20.00

Book a place

Ticket Type Price Spaces
Standard Ticket (In-person)
For those in private practice, Government and public bodies.
£160.00
Standard Ticket (Online only)
For those in private practice, Government, and public bodies.
£99.00
Discounted Ticket (In-person)
For NGOs, charities, trainees, pupils and paralegals, researchers and academics at universities.
£120.00
Discounted Ticket (Online only)
For NGOs, charities, trainees, pupils and paralegals, researchers and academics at universities.
£80.00
Concession Ticket (In-person)
For community groups or very small charity with under £250k income.
£60.00
Concession Ticket (Online only)
For community groups or very small charity with under £250k income.
£50.00
Student Ticket (Online only)
For students in full-time education making the booking using a valid university email address.
£20.00

Pay now via credit/debit card