Innovative solutions for law: First Hamburg Legal Hackathon inspires

Innovative solutions for law: First Hamburg Legal Hackathon inspires

The first Hamburg Legal Hackathon took place on May 13, 2025, organized by the Center for Legal Technology and Data Science in cooperation with built e.V. and recode.law. This creative event, held over a 48-hour period, focused on developing digital solutions to overcome barriers to access to justice. The committed participants worked in eight interdisciplinary teams to present innovative approaches.

The central challenge of the hackathon was the theme “Access to Justice,” which encouraged participants to develop solutions that improve legal access for disadvantaged populations. In addition to the development of ideas, the program also included keynote speeches and teamwork, which were supported by a mentoring team and a supporting program. The focus was on topics such as legal design thinking, the use of artificial intelligence in law and digital justice.

Presentation of the results and winning teams

On Sunday, the participating teams presented their results to a renowned jury consisting of Nicole Vogelsberger from ARAG SE, Prof. Dr. Christoph Kumpan from Bucerius Law School and Dr. Rainer Derks from the Celle Higher Regional Court passed. The jury evaluated the submitted prototypes and chose three winning teams:

• Team „Bambini“: Entwickelte eine Software zur automatisierten Prüfung von Ansprüchen gegenüber staatlichen Stellen für Eltern.
• Team „Transla{w}tion“: Schuf ein Tool zur automatisierten Übersetzung von Gebärdensprache im gerichtlichen Kontext.
• Team „Angelica“: Präsentierte einen Chatbot für Opfer häuslicher Gewalt, der Informationen über Rechte und Anlaufstellen bereitstellt.

ARAG provided non-cash prizes with a total value of €XX for the winning teams. The event was considered a great success by everyone involved, and the participants' creativity and problem-solving skills were particularly highly recognized. The organizers thanked the partners and supporters, especially ARAG, and emphasized that this hackathon was the start of future formats to promote interdisciplinary exchange and socially relevant innovations.

Outlook for future events

Another important date in the field of legal tech is Legal Counsel AI Hackathon 2025, which will take place in Berlin on April 4, 2025. This hackathon is aimed specifically at corporate lawyers in order to develop innovative solutions to legal challenges. The focus is on the use of artificial intelligence to increase efficiency in legal work processes.

The event agenda includes various phases, including an introduction to the basics of AI, team building, prototype development and presentation of results. An interactive approach is followed to promote exchange and collaboration between participants. In addition, no special previous knowledge is required, which allows participation for all levels of experience.

In summary, events like the Hamburg Legal Hackathon and the upcoming Legal Counsel AI Hackathon play an important role in promoting innovation in the legal sector. In particular, access to justice for people with disabilities could be significantly improved through such initiatives, as in one Article from Empirica is discussed. These developments demonstrate the potential of legal tech to create equal access to law for all.