CERHA HEMPEL is participating in the development of the first Austrian AI large language model

As a consortium partner, CERHA HEMPEL is receiving FFG funding for AI innovation

Leading Austrian law firm CERHA HEMPEL has joined forces with consortium partners GesetzeFinden.at, Sigmund Freud Private University (SFU) and Fraunhofer Austria to start development on the first AI language model specially designed for the Austrian legal system (Legal Large Language Model = Legal LLM). The interdisciplinary consortium plans to implement the
project within the next 24 months.

The aim of the project is to develop a legal large language model (Legal LLM) that provides
better access to the law and increases the efficiency of legal workflows. "AmigaAI" should have the ability to understand legal language and interpret it correctly in context. "Existing AI models don't yet provide an adequate solution. They aren't designed to capture the subtle nuances and understand the specific context of the Austrian legal system accurately," says Bernhard Landrichter, co-founder and managing partner of the Vienna-based start-up GesetzeFinden.at. The project aims to close this gap by developing a model capable of analysing legal documents, answering specific questions, and assisting in the creation of legal texts.

Selected from a large number of submissions, the project was chosen by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) to receive FFG funding as part of its "Digital Technologies 2023" call for proposals. This underscores both the high technical quality and the innovative strength ofthe project.

CERHA HEMPEL is supporting the project during its development with regard to compliance with the regulatory framework (in particular, compliance with the EU AI Act) and by helping to
align the model with the specific requirements of the Austrian legal market. "The challenge is to ensure that the Legal LLM meets not only the specific requirements of the Austrian legal market, but also the high standards imposed under the EU AI Act.

We're pleased to be able to contribute to this highly innovative project in the field of Legal AI," said partner Hans Kristoferitsch and attorney Alina Alavi Kia, who are responsible for the project at CERHA HEMPEL.