On 15 December 2025 at 1 PM, the public defence of the doctoral dissertation by Goda Strikaitė-Latušinskaja (doctoral student of the Department of Public Law) will take place at the Faculty of Law of Vilnius University, in the Kazimieras Leonas Sapiega Auditorium (Room 302).
Title of the dissertation: “How Technology and AI Are Transforming Access to Justice”
ANNOTATION:
This dissertation examines the underexplored legal challenges arising from the use of technology in judicial systems and their impact on the principle of access to justice. It analyses how technological innovation reshapes the traditional concept and content of this principle, revealing how the application of various technologies — including artificial intelligence tools — affects its core elements: the right of access to court and to legal aid, the right to be advised, defended, and represented, judicial independence and impartiality, as well as the right to a public hearing, an effective remedy, and a fair trial.
The dissertation distinguishes between technologies applied in the digitalisation of courts’ administrative functions and those influencing judicial decision-making, assessing how their integration aligns with the European Union’s approach to the use of technology and artificial intelligence in judicial systems. Drawing on the distinction between “easy” and “hard” cases, it explores the possibilities and limitations of applying artificial intelligence in judicial decision-making.
The dissertation was prepared at Vilnius University from 2019 to 2025.
Scientific supervisor: Prof. Dr. Jurgita Paužaitė-Kulvinskienė (Vilnius University)
DEFENCE BOARD:
Chairman – Prof. Dr. Tomas Davulis (Vilnius University)
Members:
– Prof. Dr. Ramūnas Birštonas (Vilnius University)
– Prof. Dr. Iryna Izarova (Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine)
– Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dovilė Pūraitė-Andrikienė (Vilnius University)
– Prof. Dr. Vigita Vėbraitė (Vilnius University)
Venue:
Vilnius University, Faculty of Law, Kazimieras Leonas Sapiega Auditorium (Room 302), Saulėtekio av. 9, Vilnius, Lithuania.
The dissertation is available for review at the Library of Vilnius University and here.
The defence of dissertation can also be viewed remotely through this link.