Middle East’s first AI-powered virtual courtroom launches in Dubai

The new simulator allows aspiring lawyers to cross-examine AI witnesses, argue cases before virtual judges and practise litigation under simulated courtroom conditions.

A UAE-based legal technology company has launched what it says is the Middle East and North Africa’s first artificial intelligence-powered courtroom simulator, allowing law students and trainee lawyers to practise trials and cross-examinations using virtual judges, witnesses and opposing counsel.

Legaline Platform unveiled the simulator, called Meta Legal Space, at the Dubai AI Festival on Monday, October 26, as part of efforts to introduce AI into legal education and professional training.

The platform allows users to conduct mock hearings in which AI-powered judges, clerks, witnesses and experts respond to arguments and questioning in real time, rather than following predetermined scripts.

Trainees can argue against an AI opposing lawyer or another student, with cases conducted under UAE onshore, Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) or Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) legal frameworks.

“Many lawyers conduct their first cross-examination with a real client’s case on the line, and it is the client who pays for any mistake,” said Dmitry Grinik, founder and CEO of Legaline Platform.

“Meta Legal Space moves that first attempt to a place where mistakes are allowed. The witness wavers, the judge interrupts, opposing counsel objects, and all of it happens before anyone’s case is at stake.”

AI witnesses designed to replicate courtroom pressure

The simulator uses AI characters with individual backgrounds, professions and behavioural characteristics that influence how they respond during questioning.

Each witness is programmed to withhold a fact that trainees must uncover through cross-examination, while remaining within the evidence contained in the case file.

The system supports litigation, arbitration and mediation, with cases developed by practising lawyers and assigned difficulty levels based on the trainee’s experience.

Its initial library covers commercial, civil and employment disputes, including breach of contract claims, construction defects and unfair dismissal proceedings before the DIFC Small Claims Tribunal.

After each session, trainees receive an assessment of their arguments, compliance with courtroom procedures and handling of objections. Licensed legal practitioners can also supervise proceedings and evaluate performance.

Alexander Ilduganov, co-founder and general partner of Legaline Platform, said the technology was intended to prepare young lawyers for situations that are difficult to reproduce in conventional classroom training.

“I have spent more than 25 years in criminal defence, and the hardest part of a trial is not knowing the law. It is the moment a witness says something you didn’t expect,” he said.

“You can’t learn that from a textbook, only in the courtroom.”

AI adoption expands in legal sector

The launch comes as legal technology companies expand the use of AI beyond document preparation and research into professional training.

Legaline Platform already operates several AI-based services, including a legal research assistant covering 35 areas of law, an educational chatbot and a document-generation tool that the company says can prepare draft contracts, letters and pleadings in approximately 15 seconds for lawyers to review.

Jouslin Khairallah, founder and managing director of KH Legal and a founding member of Legaline Platform, said the new simulator could help address the limited opportunities available to trainees to gain practical courtroom experience.

“Meta Legal Space closes the gap between what students learn in the classroom and what is expected of them the first time they stand before a judge,” she said.

The company said Meta Legal Space would be made available to law schools and legal training providers across the region, with free registration for students.

The simulator is being demonstrated at the Dubai AI Festival, held at Dubai World Trade Centre on October 26 and 27.