By Ben Musanje
Digital transformation is taking centre stage in Uganda’s legal profession as the Uganda Law Society (ULS) unveils partners and sponsors for the 2026 edition of its Technology Festival (TechFest), an initiative aimed at preparing lawyers for a rapidly changing digital legal environment.
The festival, whose 2026 edition will focus on digital democracy, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data protection and ethical governance, is expected to bring together lawyers, law students, technology innovators and other stakeholders to examine how technology is reshaping the delivery and practice of law.
Speaking at the unveiling of the festival partners at the ULS headquarters in Kampala, the Society’s Vice President, Anthony Asiimwe, said lawyers risk being left behind if they fail to adapt to technological changes that have already transformed how clients conduct business and access services.
“If lawyers do not pick up this aspect of technology and digital transformation, we shall be left behind because almost all our clients have moved,” Asiimwe said.
He said technology is now embedded in virtually every aspect of legal practice, from company incorporation and court transactions to banking, business and access to information.
Asiimwe noted that the nature of cases handled by lawyers is also changing as criminals and businesses increasingly use digital platforms.
He said the growing use of technology has created new questions around people’s rights, business rights and digital rights, making it necessary for lawyers to understand the technological environment in which their clients operate.
“We must keep a step ahead,” Asiimwe said, adding that lawyers must ensure that the protection of constitutional and human rights keeps pace with the expansion of digital services.
Court processes also going digital
The ULS Vice President pointed to developments within Uganda’s justice system as evidence of the urgency for lawyers to acquire digital skills.
He cited the Judiciary’s Integrated Case Management and Information System (ICMIS), through which court processes and filings are increasingly moving online.
Asiimwe said lawyers are also encountering emerging technologies such as tools designed to support legal research and judgment writing.
With court processes becoming increasingly digital, he said the legal profession must ensure that lawyers are equipped to work within the new environment.
“This is the future of the legal profession. You can no longer practice law if you don’t understand digital aspects,” he said.
The Society has consequently partnered with the Law Development Centre to involve law students in the digital transformation conversation, recognising that they will form the next generation of Uganda’s legal profession.
TechFest seeks to bridge lawyers and innovators
Advocate Tonny Galandi Kiire, chairperson of the ULS TechFest organising committee, said the festival was rebranded to reflect the changing relationship between lawyers, their clients and technology.
He said digital tools have democratised access to legal knowledge, meaning that clients are increasingly familiar with technologies that are also being adopted by lawyers.
“The law society feels that there is a need to bring the innovator, to bring the lawyer and the client to speak the same language because technology is changing the way we are practising today,” Kiire said.
He said this year’s festival will go beyond showcasing technology by creating opportunities for lawyers to interact directly with developers and innovators behind the tools they use.
The organisers have invited exhibitors from Uganda and abroad, as well as developers of legal technology solutions, to demonstrate their products and engage with members of the profession.
Push for locally relevant legal technology
One of the key concerns the 2026 festival seeks to address is the reliance on legal technology and artificial intelligence tools developed and trained using data from foreign jurisdictions.
Kiire said such tools can produce problematic results when applied to Uganda’s legal and social context.
He gave the example of an AI tool trained on legal data from the United Kingdom, where marriage law and social practices differ from those in Uganda and other African jurisdictions.
A tool trained without sufficient understanding of local realities, he said, could fail to take account of issues such as polygamous marriages when drafting legal documents.
“If you use such a tool to draft your pleadings, it is not going to take cognizance of facts that we are in an African setting where we have polygamous marriages,” he said.
The organisers argue that such challenges highlight the need for greater participation by African innovators in developing technology that reflects local laws, cultures and realities.
Regional TechFests planned
The main TechFest 2026 event is scheduled for September 18 and 19 at Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala.
The Society has also planned regional editions to widen participation beyond the capital.
The Gulu regional event is scheduled for September 15, while Mbale will host its edition on September 16. A regional event in Mbarara is also planned for mid-September, with a focus on “Digital Democracy: Advancing Access to Justice, Innovation, and Ethical Governance through Technology.”
The Gulu and Mbale events are expected to attract lawyers and other stakeholders for training and discussions, with participants eligible for five Continuing Legal Education (CLE) points.
The main festival will feature technology exhibitions, training sessions and keynote presentations, alongside opportunities for lawyers to interact with innovators and technology companies.
Building on 2025 inaugural festival
The 2026 festival builds on the inaugural TechFest held in August 2025 at Speke Resort Munyonyo, which attracted significant participation from members of the legal profession and technology sector.
The first edition featured training, technology demonstrations and prizes, including a Mercedes-Benz, a trip for two and premium electronics.
Kiire said this year’s event will continue supporting young lawyers while creating more opportunities for them to access practical digital tools and engage with technology developers.
The Society is also working with partners from the banking and technology sectors, reflecting the increasing reliance on digital platforms in everyday life and business.
For the ULS, however, the festival is about more than technology itself. It is about ensuring that the legal profession remains relevant as Uganda’s economy, justice system and society increasingly move online.
Asiimwe urged members of the Bar to participate in the festival and engage with the changes taking place in the profession.
“The future is now,” he said. “If we do not show up, we shall be left behind.”
This flow makes the sponsor unveiling the news peg, while the rest of the story answers the bigger questions: why TechFest matters, what lawyers are being asked to adapt to, what challenges AI presents, and what is planned for 2026.
