I had the honour of being invited to speak at this year’s Relativity Fest in London, where I shared my journey with the Justice for Change programme. It was an opportunity to highlight the impactful work we at FRP, in collaboration with Mnemonic, are undertaking to effect positive change globally.

Our involvement in the Justice for Change programme began in 2023, when FRP committed to providing pro-bono support to Mnemonic and their partner organisations. Our focus has been on investigations into human rights issues in Syria. Our robust, multidisciplinary team, with expertise spanning digital forensics and eDiscovery, has been key in guiding and assisting Mnemonic throughout our collaborative efforts.

Reflecting on the session, shortly after its conclusion, I was asked by Relativity about my key takeaway. My response was simple: “There is enough need for justice for everyone [to get involved].” While it’s true that collective effort lightens the load, the session offered numerous insights and learnings that are equally relevant.

Mnemonic’s team, along with other partners involved in these investigations, bring a wealth of experience to the table. They have developed effective workflows and methodologies for handling Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), an area often overlooked. Their challenge now lies in organising, indexing, and searching the collated information in a meaningful way - a task that eDiscovery professionals and our colleagues at Relativity excel.

The topic of AI has been a recurring theme in discussions and conferences across the Legal Technology industry for a very long time. During our session, we acknowledged the potential of AI, but also agreed on the importance of a cautious, human-first approach, especially when dealing with large datasets. While AI can provide valuable assistance, it is not a panacea and will never replace the investigator’s ability to analyse data.

I consider myself fortunate to be in a position to give back, supported by an incredible team at FRP and my friends at Relativity.  

If you believe you can contribute or even if you just want to learn more about the programme, please do not hesitate to reach out. There are countless ways to get involved, but if you’re looking for the simplest route, drop me an email and I will connect you with the right people.