Ahmed Mehanna, Head of the New Cairo Bar Association, participated in the 16th Annual Conference of the Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU), hosted this year in Cairo under the theme “The African Lawyer in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Leveraging Technology to Achieve a Just and Prosperous Africa,” delivering the conference’s opening address.
Key Highlights of the Address
- Welcomed PALU delegates to Cairo, highlighting the city’s historic role as a civilizational and legal bridge between Africa and the world.
- Posed a central question on the future of justice in the age of AI: whether technology will serve justice, or reshape the very concept of justice itself.
- Emphasized that artificial intelligence is a tool in service of the lawyer, not a substitute — it carries neither the conscience of a judge nor the mission of a lawyer.
- Called for a unified African vision to govern the use of AI in the legal field, safeguarding the independence of the legal profession and the confidentiality of client data.
- Cited the New Cairo Bar Association’s own initiative in adopting a code of conduct governing lawyers’ use of social media and digital platforms, as a practical model in this area.
- Underscored the importance of cooperation and integration among African bar associations in addressing cross-border legal challenges.
This participation reflects the New Cairo Bar Association’s ongoing commitment to expanding its professional engagement with African and international legal institutions, and to strengthening the presence of the Egyptian legal profession on continental and international platforms.
