CLA News / Opening Remarks at the Young Commonwealth Lawyers Association’s 3rd Virtual Conference: Reset, Reimagine, and Reaffirm by CLA President Steven Thiru
These opening remarks were delivered by Steven Thiru on 13 May 2026 at the Young Commonwealth Lawyers Association’s 3rd Virtual Conference, hosted in partnership with the African Law Students’ Association. The Conference — themed ‘Comparative Legal Traditions and Modern Legal Practice’ — was held on 13 and 14 May 2026.
Distinguished members of the Young Commonwealth Lawyers Association (‘YCLA’), representatives of the African Law Students’ Association (‘ALSA’), honoured speakers, fellow members of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association (‘CLA’), young lawyers, law students, and friends.
It is both a privilege and a profound honour to address you today at the opening of this 3rd Virtual Conference of the Young Commonwealth Lawyers Association, held in partnership with the African Law Students’ Association.
I extend my deepest gratitude to the organisers, and to the leadership of YCLA and ALSA. I am extremely proud that we have once again organised this important event for the next generation of lawyers in the Commonwealth.
This conference’s theme — ‘Comparative Legal Traditions and Modern Legal Practice’ — could not be timelier. We meet at a moment of extraordinary transformation. Across the globe, legal systems are confronting profound challenges: the rapid integration of artificial intelligence (‘AI’) into legal and judicial processes, increasing threats to judicial independence, growing inequality in access to justice, democratic fragility, and disturbing violations of international law. Yet, amid this complexity, there is also an extraordinary opportunity. That opportunity lies, in no small part, with you — the young lawyers and future leaders of our profession.
Young lawyers are not merely the inheritors of legal traditions; they are the architects of what legal practice will become. The choices you make, the principles you defend, and the innovations you embrace will shape the legal profession for decades to come. You are entering practice during one of the most disruptive periods in modern legal history. But disruption need not weaken the profession. If approached with courage and principle, it can strengthen it.
Today, I invite you to reflect on three essential imperatives in these challenging times for the legal profession the world over: to reset, to reimagine, and to reaffirm.
Resetting our Foundations
To ‘reset’ is to return to first principles.
In times of profound uncertainty, complexity, and technological upheaval, our profession must resist the temptation to be swept away by novelty without reflection. Across the Commonwealth, AI is being integrated into justice systems in ways that promise efficiency, speed, and accessibility. AI tools are assisting in legal research, predictive analytics, document review, case management, and even judicial assessments. While these developments hold significant promise, they also raise critical concerns about transparency, bias, accountability, and fairness. These issues are not confined to any one limb of government.
For example, just last month, on 26 April, it was reported that South Africa’s Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies withdrew the country’s Draft National Artificial Intelligence Policy after it was discovered that the very document intended to regulate responsible AI governance had itself been compromised by unverified AI-generated material. The draft reportedly contained fictitious academic references and fabricated citations, exposing a profound institutional failure of verification.
This incident carries lessons far beyond South Africa. Across jurisdictions, courts, law firms, and regulators have increasingly confronted similar failures, where AI-generated legal authorities, precedents, or research citations have proven to be entirely fictitious. The danger lies not merely in AI’s capacity to err, but in the fluency and confidence with which it presents falsehoods, often making fabrication difficult to detect without rigorous human scrutiny. In the legal profession, where accuracy, precedent, and accountability are foundational, such failures strike at the heart of justice itself.
These developments, whether in executive policymaking, legal practice, or judicial proceedings, collectively remind us that to reset is to return to first principles. In an age of accelerating innovation, our profession must consciously reset itself by reaffirming the core values that have always guided the administration of justice: diligence, integrity, accountability, fairness, and unwavering respect for the rule of law. Technology may transform the tools we use, but it must never displace the professional responsibilities that define who we are.
AI can assist, but it cannot replace human judgment, ethical scrutiny, or the duty of verification. To reset, therefore, is not to resist progress, but to ensure that progress remains firmly guided by enduring legal and moral principles. Only by anchoring technological advancement to these foundational values can we preserve public confidence, protect institutional legitimacy, and ensure that innovation serves justice rather than undermines it.
Reimagining Legal Practice
To ‘reimagine’ is to approach the future not with fear, but with vision.
In resetting, we must also reimagine our approach to legal practice. In my travels across the Commonwealth, I have had the privilege of engaging with countless young lawyers. Despite differing legal systems, economies, and cultures, one concern repeatedly emerges across jurisdictions: artificial intelligence.
Many young practitioners understandably worry that AI will replace essential entry-level legal functions, the very tasks through which young lawyers traditionally build expertise. Legal research, drafting, due diligence, and compliance reviews are increasingly being automated.
This fear is real. But fear alone cannot define our response.
The legal profession has always evolved. From handwritten pleadings to digital filings, from physical law libraries to online databases, each transformation has demanded adaptation. AI is no different, except perhaps in scale.
Rather than viewing AI solely as a threat, young lawyers must learn to harness it responsibly and creatively. Technology should serve as a tool that enhances legal services, expands access to justice, and strengthens public understanding of legal rights.
Young lawyers must not merely adapt to technology; they must shape how technology serves justice. AI can help broaden outreach, improve legal education, streamline services, and identify systemic injustices. But this requires ethical stewardship. It requires lawyers committed to ensuring that technological progress does not compromise fairness, privacy, or human rights.
Reimagining legal practice means recognising that innovation and principle are not opposites. They must work together. You are uniquely positioned to lead this transformation because your generation understands both the values of legal principles and the realities of an increasingly digital society. Your challenge is to ensure that innovation remains firmly rooted in justice.
Reaffirming What Must Endure
To ‘reaffirm’ is to stand firmly for the enduring core of our profession.
To my point on reaffirming, regardless of how advanced our technologies become, regardless of how globalised or digitised legal practice may be, certain principles must remain inviolable: integrity, independence, professional courage, and commitment to justice.
These are the foundations of legal practice. They are the standards that preserve public confidence and sustain democratic societies.
Young lawyers must reaffirm their commitment not only to clients but also to the broader legal system itself. This includes standing with bar associations and law societies across the Commonwealth in defence of judicial independence, professional ethics, and the rule of law.
Bars and law societies are not merely regulatory bodies; they are guardians of legal integrity. In many jurisdictions, they are among the last institutional defenders against executive overreach, erosion of rights, and attacks on democratic accountability. Your support for these institutions is essential.
As future leaders of the profession, you must understand that legal practice is not solely a career. It is a calling that carries obligations to society. It demands vigilance, solidarity, and courage. Reaffirming our principles also means protecting vulnerable communities, defending access to justice, and ensuring that legal systems remain inclusive and equitable.
The Future We Must Build Together
As we begin this conference, I encourage each of you to engage deeply, think critically, and collaborate boldly. Learn from comparative legal traditions. Exchange perspectives across borders. Build networks of solidarity. The Commonwealth’s diversity is one of its greatest strengths, and through that diversity, we can forge innovative yet principled pathways for the future of law.
The future of legal practice will undoubtedly look different from its past. But the central mission of law remains unchanged: to uphold justice, defend rights, and preserve the rule of law.
So let us reset by returning to foundational principles.
Let us reimagine by embracing innovation responsibly.
And let us reaffirm our unwavering commitment to ethical practice, institutional integrity, and the enduring values that define our profession.
Thank you, and I wish you a successful, inspiring, and transformative conference.
Steven Thiru
President
Commonwealth Lawyers Association
13 May 2026
Steven Thiru records his appreciation to Jaishanker Sadananda for his assistance in preparing these remarks.
