Richard Susskind
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Richard Susskind is an author and adviser whose work examines the effects of technology and artificial intelligence on legal services, courts and access to justice. His publications address both changes to professional work and broader questions about the governance and social consequences of AI.[1][2]
Roles and affiliations
The Oxford Martin School's June 2025 speaker biography identifies Susskind as President of the Society for Computers and Law and records his appointment in 2024 as Special Envoy for Justice and AI to the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth. It dates his service as Technology Adviser to the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales to 1998–2023. His Oxford doctorate in the 1980s concerned AI and the law.[1]
Contributions and positions
Legal services and access to justice
In Tomorrow's Lawyers, Susskind examines how technology could change legal work, professional roles and the delivery of legal services. The third edition's public publisher summary emphasizes online courts, AI-enabled legal businesses and new opportunities for legal professionals. It presents technological change as a possible response to the expense and inaccessibility of conventional legal services.[3]
The book's argument is prospective and normative: it asks lawyers to help develop different ways of meeting legal needs. It should not be read as proof that a particular technology already delivers accurate advice or that a proposed professional model has been authorized in a given jurisdiction. Its relevance to AI law lies in the questions it raises about institutions, service delivery and the role of human professionals.[3]
Thinking about AI beyond immediate products
How to Think About AI (2025) places contemporary generative AI within a longer history of the field. According to the publisher's public description, Susskind explores possible future scenarios, moral boundaries and the challenge of balancing benefits against risks. He argues for a wider public discussion rather than leaving choices about the technology exclusively to specialists.[2]
The book is presented as a non-technical guide. Its scenarios and arguments concern possible developments and decisions society may face; they are not verified predictions of what any particular AI system will do. This distinction is especially relevant when using his work to discuss the future of courts or professional responsibility.[2]
Public discussion
In a May 2025 ABA Journal interview, Susskind discussed his early interest in AI, his concerns about the pace and direction of development, and the possibility of using AI to improve access to justice. The conversation with Lee Rawles included ethical questions and skepticism about AI, providing a record of his position in discussion rather than simply a promotional description of a book.[4]
The interview connects his long-running interest in legal services with broader concerns about humanity's relationship to AI. For readers of legal developments, it provides context for arguments about who should benefit from technological change and who should take part in decisions about its use.[4]
Selected works
- Tomorrow’s Lawyers: An Introduction to Your Future (third edition, 2023) — Public publisher abstract and bibliographic record; the full book is not reproduced here.[3]
- How to Think About AI: A Guide for the Perplexed (2025) — Public publisher description of the non-technical guide.[2]
- Online Courts and the Future of Justice (2019; 2021 edition listed) — Book identified in Oxford’s bibliography; the linked page also provides a recorded book talk and professional background.[1]
News and coverage
- June 16, 2025 — Oxford Martin School book talk, an institutional event with Ian Goldin and a recording.[1]
- May 7, 2025 — Perplexed about AI? Richard Susskind wants to help, ABA Journal interview by Lee Rawles.[4]
Related articles
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Oxford Martin School, Richard Susskind book talk and speaker biography, June 16, 2025. Accessed September 7, 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Oxford University Press, How to Think About AI: A Guide for the Perplexed, public book description (2025). Accessed September 7, 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Oxford University Press, Tomorrow’s Lawyers: An Introduction to Your Future, third edition (2023), public abstract and bibliographic record. Accessed September 7, 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Lee Rawles, Perplexed about AI? Richard Susskind wants to help, ABA Journal, May 7, 2025. Accessed September 7, 2026.