Iria Giuffrida
Get to Know Me
Something that excites me in my field...
are the opportunities to conduct interdisciplinary work with phenomenally talented colleagues from computer science, business, data analytics, education, ethics and many more departments.
My work impacts society...
in ways that are sometimes less visible. I think about the legal consequences when things go wrong (and sometimes they do), and how to promote legal solutions that can respond better to the complex challenges posed by technology.
I find the most joy in my work when...
I collaborate with colleagues and students from other disciplines. It challenges me to explain legal concepts and to adapt my way to frame and solve problems.
The most courageous thing I've done...
was move from Catania, Italy to London, England to study law. Never looked back.
The best advice I ever received...
Drive your career like you would drive your own business... because it is!
Current University
The College of William & Mary
Research Area
Legal issues arising from AI and cybersecurity
Research Summary
Iria Giuffrida has been working on a grant-funded research project focusing on legal issues arising from the increasing use of artificial intelligence, the rapid growth of the Internet of Things and related emerging technologies. She leads CLCT’s research efforts in this area and is involved in the work of the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative.
Background
Giuffrida is a Professor of the Practice of Law at William & Mary Law School and is the Deputy Director of the Center for Legal & Court Technology (CLCT). She also holds the position of Visiting Faculty for Business Law at the Business at the Raymond A. Mason School of Business.
Giuffrida teaches the Law School’s innovative artificial intelligence course, which was first offered in spring 2018. She co-teaches a new, interdisciplinary seminar on cyber and information security, with a team of professors from William & Mary’s Mason School of Business and Department of Computer Science. She also teaches other courses including International Commercial Arbitration, International Business Transactions, Mediation, Legal Environment of Business and Business Law.
In her previous professional life, she was a commercial litigator with Dechert LLP (in the London and Brussels offices) and Enyo Law LLP, a big-ticket specialist litigation firm in London. Giuffrida has substantial experience in alternative dispute resolution having been involved in a number of ICC and LCIA arbitrations as well as mediations concerning competition law, international joint-venture disputes, energy disputes and construction law. She has advised clients in a wide range of commercial matters and has particular experience in complex and multijurisdictional financial services disputes, breach of fiduciary duties and restitution-based claims. She is admitted to practice in the State of New York, is a Solicitor in England and Wales and has also qualified as a Solicitor in the Republic of Ireland.
Prior to practicing law, Giuffrida taught law in the U.S. and in the U.K., and worked for the European Ombudsman in Brussels.
Alma Mater
Giuffrida graduated with an LL.B. in English and European Law from Queen Mary, University of London. She was the 2001 Drapers’ Scholar at William & Mary Law School, where she obtained an LL.M. She was later awarded a Ph.D. in Law by Queen Mary, University of London.