AI and automated decision-making: what standards are the court staff members of the Supreme Court being trained to meet?

Current Supreme Court case law, European standards, artificial intelligence, cyber security and effective teamwork – the professional development program for court staff has been designed with the contemporary challenges facing the justice system in mind.

Throughout September and October 2026, the National School of Judges of Ukraine is conducting training and professional development for judicial assistants, advisers and research advisers to the Supreme Court at the Commercial Court of Cassation.

The aim of the training is to deepen professional knowledge in the field of commercial litigation, develop practical skills in the application of the law, effective communication and the use of modern tools for resolving legal disputes in accordance with national and international standards.

The following judges were involved in the teaching: Yurii Chumak, Tetiana Malashenkova and Yan Bernaziuk of the Supreme Court; Oksana Vozniuk, a judge at the Bila Tserkva District Court in Kyiv Oblast; Olha Balatska, a judge at the Rivne City Court in Rivne Oblast; Olena Fonova, Head of the Commercial Court of Luhansk Oblast; Iryna Kushnir, Project Manager of the Council of Europe’s project “Supporting the Judiciary of Ukraine during the War and in the Post-War Period”; and Yurii Ivanov, Director of the Department of Centralised Network Administration and System Support at the State Enterprise “ISS”.

The programme combines fundamental legal issues with the practical tools required for the day-to-day work of court staff. Participants examine effective collaboration within a judge’s office, the principles of trust, accountability and integrity, the development of cognitive skills, and the use of artificial intelligence and automated decision-making.

A separate module is devoted to the current practice of the Supreme Court in commercial disputes. Participants also analyse the case law of the European Court of Human Rights in the field of commercial litigation, the fundamentals of personal data protection in the context of European Union law, and issues of cybersecurity.

The practical component of the training is complemented by webinars entitled ‘Ensuring gender equality as a standard of fair justice through the prism of international and national case law’ and ‘Disputes concerning the protection of intellectual property rights: theoretical foundations and case law’.

Thus, the training goes beyond merely updating professional knowledge in the field of commercial law. Participants are given the opportunity to comprehensively develop the legal, digital, communication and organisational competencies necessary for the effective functioning of a modern court.

The training also serves as a platform for professional exchange between judges, academics, experts and court staff. This format makes it possible to combine current judicial practice with new approaches to the organisation of work and the application of the law amidst dynamic changes in the legal system.