I’m an Edinburgh-based cross-disciplinary specialist in AI policy, legal technology, responsible innovation and technology regulation.
I have over 10 years of experience in legal tech, research and government, thinking about responsible innovation based on legal compliance, accountability, and democracy. I’ve published in a variety of venues for numerous audiences, and been an invited speaker and teacher at universities and other institutions across the globe.
Throughout my research career, I’ve always tried to contribute in ways that go beyond desk research – and that hopefully connect with the world beyond academia.
For example:
- I designed and developed the unique Typology of Legal Technologies. This web-based interactive ‘publication’ combines traditional primary research with an interface that aids and complements understanding of that research, confirming that the medium is, indeed, the message.
- I proposed and created the COHUBICOL project’s online publications website, where most of our collaborative work was made accessible as browseable HTML pages (as well as traditional PDFs). This provided the platform for the ‘hybrid’ Typology publication.
- I developed a workshop with colleagues Dr. Pauline McBride and Dr. Masha Medvedeva where we crossed the divide between law and computer science, helping AI technologists to understand the ideas that underpin the law and how AI might impact them.
- I have published (with Pauline McBride) various commentaries on the use of AI in law in professional publications and as responses to public consultations.
- I co-founded the platinum open access Journal of Cross-disciplinary Research in Computational Law (CRCL), developing its website, brand identity, publication template, and unique article-reply-response publication format and workflow (the latter in collaboration with co-founder Mireille Hildebrandt).
- I co-founded CRCL’s sister conference of the same name, again developing its brand identity, online presence and contributing as General Co-chair to its ethos and running.
- I was Technical Editor of SCRIPTed: a Journal of Law, Technology & Society for a decade, during which time I redesigned its website and publication process to be more efficient and less labour-intensive for editors.
My motivation to go beyond core research work is that I believe society is best served when publicly-funded research is made accessible, both in terms of (1) open (free) access and (2) its usability and intelligibility.
To have a real impact, it’s necessary for the important work done in academia to have appropriate ‘interfaces’ for the audiences it’s intended for. That’s a goal I’ve tried to contribute to as a researcher.
In a past life I used to be a full stack web developer, and I still regularly dabble in the world of code.
That includes this site, the various projects I worked on in academia (COHUBICOL, CRCL, SCRIPTed), and it also involved contributing to the odd open source project.
That technical experience has been an important impetus for my research outlook: I’ve always been troubled by the power of developers, even those trying to do the right thing.
The gap between what law requires and what actually goes on is quite startling, and is one of the many fundamental questions that will need to be addressed in the 21st century. That’s the basis of my interest in this field.
For more about my work, see the Publications & presentations and CV pages.
Outside the world of work…
I play the caixa (Brazilian snare drum) and repinique in The Edinburgh Samba School (of which I’m also Convener/Chair). I also regularly direct the bateria, and have also occasionally composed.
I like taking photos, climbing Munros, and I’m also interested in improving understanding of mental health and wellbeing both inside and outside academia.
