Hannes Westermann (Maastricht University): Augmented Large Language Models for Access to Justice

About the Speaker
Hannes Westermann is Assistant Professor of Law and Artificial Intelligence at Maastricht University and the Maastricht Law and Tech Lab. His research focuses on the use of AI and generative AI to improve access to justice. He obtained his PhD from the Université de Montréal and the Cyberjustice Laboratory, where he developed JusticeBot, an innovative online platform that provides legal information to laypeople using AI. The platform has been used over 50,000 times. He has presented his research findings at international conferences and was awarded the “Best Paper Award” at JURIX 2020 and 2023. His work has also been featured in the Financial Times and Context.news.

About the Topic
In recent years, large language models have led to significant advances in computers’ ability to understand, generate, and reason with language. In this presentation, I explore how these models can best be used to increase access to justice, for example, by helping laypeople navigate interactions with the legal system. In particular, I will explore how augmented AI systems that integrate expert knowledge, large language models, and symbolic reasoning approaches to safely and accurately accomplish legal tasks.

About the Speaker Series
The Artificial Justice Speaker Series features guests working at the intersection between law, computer science, and the humanities. Neither technical nor juristic knowledge is a prerequisite for participation—the Series is aimed at anyone with an interest in critical and interdisciplinary perspectives on “Law and AI.” The event takes place on Zoom and is scheduled to last one hour.

The virtual lecture will be held as a video conference via Zoom. Please register no later than Tuesday, 1 September 2026, using this LINK.
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