To mark the 2025 United Nations World Youth Skills Day (WYSD) on 15 July, the International Bar Association (IBA) – the global voice of the legal profession – emphasises the importance of equipping young legal professionals with digital and artificial intelligence (AI) skills as this year’s UN theme – ‘Youth empowerment through AI and digital skills’ – underlines the pivotal role that technology is playing in shaping economies and societies.
As the Fourth Industrial Revolution progresses, the IBA underscores the need for young lawyers to develop competencies in AI and digitalisation. According to the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) 70 per cent of youth worldwide are economically disengaged due to a lack of relevant skills and almost half of students feel unprepared for workplaces increasingly driven by AI.
For young lawyers, the IBA has numerous avenues for learning, including internships, mentoring and research resources focused on AI and digitalisation issues.
Focusing on young lawyers and equipping them with the digital skills they will need in the coming decades is a priority for the IBA President. Furthermore, the 2024 IBA Impact Report highlights the importance of digital skills as well as the motivational drivers for young professionals to pursue values-driven work. Along with promoting pro bono work and access to justice, the Association highlights the critical role that the law plays in defending human rights and combating injustice globally.
IBA President Jaime Carey highlighted the purpose-driven nature of legal careers, stating: ‘Young professionals are eager to make a difference, and law provides a powerful platform to address pressing issues like pro bono initiatives, digital transformation and social justice. Additionally, as digitalisation and robotic control become more prevalent across industries, younger lawyers will play a crucial role in shaping legal frameworks to ensure these technological advances are positive and useful for all of humankind.’
Bruno Maggi, Co-Chair of the IBA Young Lawyers’ Committee (YLC), remarked: ‘Empowering young lawyers with digital skills is essential for shaping a fairer and more just future as we are the architects of tomorrow’s legal landscape.’
Zeina Obeid, Co-Chair of the IBA YLC, said: ‘Providing access to resources, mentorship and meaningful opportunities enables young professionals to find purpose in their work and become leaders who drive justice and innovation worldwide.’
The IBA YLC supports early-career lawyers through training courses, surveys, awards and a global network of national representatives. Also, the annual IBA ICC Moot Court Competition, held in The Hague and organised by the Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies of Leiden Law School, offers law students a platform to hone their skills in international criminal law.
On 23 July 2025 the IBA YLC, in conjunction with other IBA Committees, will host a free online interactive discussion: Young lawyers and leadership. The webinar will cover topics relating to young lawyers, and the panel will ask how senior lawyers can provide support in an increasingly complex and fast-paced legal environment.
ENDS
Contact: IBApressoffice@int-bar.org
Notes
- The Young Lawyers’ Committee (YLC) aims to help young lawyers enhance their skills and networks through IBA programmes, conferences, and projects. Key initiatives include:
- Legal resources for young people
-
IBA internship programmes – In London, these three-month-internships are placed in departments including the Executive Director office, the Human Rights Institute and the Legal Policy & Research Unit. Financial grants are available. The deadline for applications for the January-March 2026 London cohort is 5 September 2025. Internships are also available in the IBA’s offices in The Hague, Netherlands and Washington, DC, United States. The IBA Interns’ Newsletter showcases interests and legal work.
-
The David W Rivkin Fellowship – Established in 2023 in honour of the former IBA president, the Fellowship provides a mentorship opportunity with Mr Rivkin and some financial support towards legal studies.
-
IBA Student Membership – Provides access to online resources on key issues affecting the international legal profession and provides an understanding of the issues and trends that are developing and changing the legal practice worldwide.
-
The International Bar Association (the global voice of the legal profession), is the foremost organisation for international legal practitioners, bar associations and law societies. Established in 1947, shortly after the creation of the United Nations, it was born out of the conviction that an organisation made up of the world’s bar associations could contribute to global stability and peace through the administration of justice.
The IBA has considerable expertise in providing assistance to the global legal community, and through its global membership, it influences the development of international law reform and helps to shape the future of the legal profession throughout the world.
- Find the IBA (@IBAnews) on social media here:
Please direct enquiries/interview requests to:
Press Office
International Bar Association
Chancery House, 53-64 Chancery Lane
London, WC2A 1QS
United Kingdom
Mobile: +44 (0)7940 731 915
Direct Line: +44 (0)20 7842 0094
Main Office: +44 (0)20 7842 0090
Email: IBApressoffice@int-bar.org
Website page link for this news release:
Short link: www.tinyurl.com/237st42c
Full link: www.ibanet.org/IBA-focuses-on-digital-skills-and-young-lawyers-empowerment-as-UN-World-Youth-Skills-Day-is-celebrated