Abstract
Emerging technologies and the so-called information and communication technologies (ICT or IT) are transforming society, interpersonal relationships, and our way of understanding the world and, by extension, also law and the legal profession. Emerging technologies will have a significant impact on society in the coming years and will pose new challenges and legal issues in the legal sector that will surely affect the development, evolution, and way of understanding the legal practice. The future of the legal industry will be comprise occupations that do not yet exist, or areas and subjects that are little or not yet known or even explored. The key for law firms will therefore be to specialize in these sectors. This Topic has become a window into the new challenges of law and policies in relation to emerging technologies.
1. Introduction
The impact of emerging technologies on law and policies is far-reaching, encompassing ethical implications, the enforcement of intellectual property laws, regulatory frameworks, and the legal profession. The insights gained from the related research published in this field provide a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities presented by emerging technologies in the legal domain.
The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into legal practice has been a consistent theme in recent times, reflecting its transformative potential and the ethical challenges it poses. This theme encompasses the use of AI to enhance access to justice, streamline legal processes, and improve the efficiency of legal services. The consistent interest in this area highlights the ongoing efforts to balance innovation with ethical considerations and regulatory compliance. This Topic aims to provide new legal advances in connection with emerging technologies.
2. Publications Statistics
Given the multidisciplinary nature of the Topic, four journals have participated: Inventions, Laws, Sustainability and Technologies. To summarize the call for papers for this Topic, of the 106 manuscripts submitted, 88% were rejected and 12% were published. Table 1 summarizes these data according to each journal.
Table 1.
Statistics by journal in this Topic.
3. Authors’ Affiliation
The authors come from nineteen different affiliations. Table 2 summarizes the authors and their affiliations.
Table 2.
Authors and their affiliations.
4. Keywords
Keywords are crucial for scientific publications, impacting their discoverability and indexing. The appropriate selection of keywords is essential for improving publication visibility, and there is a need for standardization and guidelines to ensure consistency in representation and recovery of scientific production. Keywords assist in making research more accessible, increasing its visibility, and ensuring that it reaches the right audience. Table 3 summarizes the keywords of the articles published in this Topic.
Table 3.
Keywords relating to this Topic.
Institutional Review Board Statement
Not applicable. This study not involving humans or animals.
Informed Consent Statement
Not applicable.
Data Availability Statement
Not applicable.
Conflicts of Interest
The author declares no conflicts of interest.
References
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