From Legal Databases to AI-Assisted Justice: A Risk-Sensitive Framework for the Application of Information Technologies in Law

This paper analyzes information technologies in law and proposes a risk-sensitive framework for responsible digital legal practice. Using EU regulatory developments as the main legal lens, while also referring to international standards and policy materials, the study reviews legal databases, case-management systems, artificial intelligence and natural language processing, electronic identification and signatures, digital evidence, online dispute resolution and electronic courts. The paper's contribution is to connect general principles of transparency, human oversight, source verification and accountability to concrete stages of legal work: intake, research, drafting, identity assurance, signing, archiving and audit. Brief examples of AI-assisted drafting, online dispute resolution and electronic signature verification illustrate the practical use of the framework. The analysis concludes that digital legal systems create value when they remain traceable, proportionate and subject to professional responsibility rather than replacing legal judgment.