The LEGAL HACKERS Association in Luxembourg

1. What is the purpose of, and the action taken by, Legal Hackers Luxembourg?

Our mission is to spot issues and opportunities where technology can improve and inform the practice of law and where law, legal practice, and policy can adapt to rapidly changing technology. We organize meetups, hackathons, conferences, and workshops in Luxembourg to share and exchange knowledge and experience. We are a volunteer-run, chapter-based community that is free to join and open to all. Legal Hackers is not a commercial enterprise, trade association, or advocacy group. Legal Hackers Luxembourg is part of the global movement of lawyers, policymakers, designers, technologists, and academics who explore and develop creative solutions to some of the most pressing issues at the intersection of law and technology. Go to https://legalhackers.org/our-story/ to find out more.

2.How has the emergence of artificial intelligence impacted your association’s field of intervention in 2024?

We had several events last year on AI. We focused on the AI Act and brought scholars, startups, and scientists together to reflect on some of the proposed legal provisions when they were still under discussion. For example, we organized an event on the AI Act and cybersecurity, focusing on generative AI risks at the House of Cybersecurity of Luxembourg as part of their Cybersecurity Week initiative. The AIA will be a landmark piece of legislation; therefore, it made sense we focused our discussions on that, as many community members were eager to understand more about it. This year, we aim to diversify our topics more, because there are so many interesting legal issues with new technologies.

3. Could you tell us a bit about your professional career thus far and how you arrived at this position of responsibility?

After obtaining my LLM, I pursued a PhD in law at the University of Luxembourg. I focus my research on AI and online platforms, specifically on the issue of online enforcement. I researched this in the context of the interplay between the EU AI Act, the Digital Services Act, the Copyright Directive, and other EU sectoral laws. I am currently working at UNESCO on the AI Ethics team. During my PhD, I got to know Legal Hackers Luxembourg when the chapter started. I decided to contribute and stayed there. I am a co-organizer at Legal Hackers Luxembourg because we are a committee of organizers. I am currently the longest-serving co-organizer, but we are all volunteers with day jobs. The other committee members are Emanuele Fossati, Anisia Heresanau, and Georgia Vasileiadou. We meet once a month and decide on the events we consider of interest to our community, which is around 900 members on Meetup. We plan and decide on who leads each event while supporting each other in their execution. 

4. What advice would you give to other women who wish to advance in their careers and access similar positions of authority?

This question should be rephrased as this is not a career position - My advice to women is to embrace their passions and seize opportunities to engage with them. There are many organizations that can benefit from women’s engagement and perspective on different issues, and this is particularly salient for tech issues. Currently, the Legal Hackers Luxembourg chapter organizing committee is mostly made up of women, which shows there are women who are passionate about tech and law who want to contribute and broaden the discussion on these topics. Volunteering allows you to network and learn more about different topics while contributing to society.