Kampala- Judicial officers of the Commercial Division of the High Court of Uganda have undergone a hands-on training aimed at strengthening legal research through the effective use of digital tools, in a move to enhance the quality and efficiency of judicial work.
The training, held on Thursday, was facilitated by HW Joel Wegoye from the Judicial Training Institute. It focused on equipping judges, registrars, and research magistrates with practical skills in using LexisNexis and the Uganda Legal Information Institute (ULII) to improve the accuracy, timeliness, and overall quality of judicial decisions.
In her opening remarks, Deputy Head of the Division, Susan Abinyo, emphasized that digital research tools are no longer optional but essential to modern adjudication, noting that they play a critical role in enhancing the timeliness and quality of judgments and rulings.
During the session, HW Joel Wegoye guided participants through activating their LexisNexis accounts and highlighted the platform’s secure, encrypted artificial intelligence system designed to prevent data leaks and minimise inaccurate outputs. He also demonstrated the advanced research capabilities of both LexisNexis and ULII, including ULII’s Tanzanite package, which provides AI-assisted case summaries and enhanced analytics features.
Participants received training on proper legal citation practices, with facilitators stressing their growing importance in data analytics and jurisprudential tracking. Judicial officers also opened personal ULII accounts, enabling them to create encrypted private notes, organise research materials into customised folders, and receive automated alerts whenever new court decisions aligned with their areas of interest or specific judges are uploaded.
The training further highlighted upcoming integrations between ULII and ECCMIS, which will allow the automatic uploading of judicial decisions, thereby streamlining publication and improving accessibility. Participants were also introduced to ULII’s AI-generated hyperlinks that provide instant access to cited laws and authorities within judgments, as well as tools for tracking the appellate history of cases to determine whether decisions have been upheld or overturned.
Addressing concerns about the increasing use of AI-generated submissions, HW Wegoye noted that ULII remains the authoritative database for verifying the authenticity of case citations and confirming court holdings.
Closing the training, Head of the Division Anna B. Mugenyi commended the facilitator and expressed confidence that the enhanced use of digital research tools would significantly improve research efficiency within the Division. She encouraged research magistrates to fully utilise the platforms to support judges in delivering timely and well-grounded decisions.
Judges who attended the training included Thomas Ocaya, Patricia Kahigi Asiimwe, Patricia Mutesi, Patience Tumusiime Rubagumya, and Susan Odongo, alongside registrars and research magistrates of the Division.
