IE University and Ecija launch the Digital Law Observatory
IE Law School of IE University and Ecija have presented the Digital Law Observatory, a think tank on the legal repercussions of the technological revolution and the expansion of the digital ecosystem, articulated around four verticals: artificial intelligence, metaverse and tokenomics, legaltech and data governance. The presentation event was opened by the Dean of IE Law School, Soledad Atienza, the managing partner of Ecija, Alejandro Touriño and Salvador Estevan, director general of Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, who focused on the Digital Agenda 2026.
The Digital Law Observatory is created with the aim of deepening and investigating the different legal dimensions and implications derived from the digital economy in order to become a space for legal and academic research and dissemination of the new legal framework.
According to Soledad Atienza, Dean of IE Law School, “IE Law School is proud to create this Observatory together with ECIJA and turn it into a space for debate between the private, public and academic sectors on the legal impact of the digitalisation of society. It will also generate research on the new legal framework of the digital economy supported by the protagonists of the digital scenario. This observatory continues IE University’s commitment to promoting positive changes in society through education, innovation and research”.
In the words of Alejandro Touriño, Managing Partner of ECIJA “We are tremendously excited to build together with IE University the Digital Law Observatory, a reference in the Spanish-speaking market, through which we will investigate the impact of technology on society and our sector, identifying the ethical, legal and regulatory needs that technology is currently demanding. Technology is part of our DNA and we are privileged witnesses of how it is transforming society and our profession”.
Ana Buitrago, former head of legal in Amazon and member of the Observatory’s Advisory Board, declares: “Without legal certainty, innovation and progress are not possible. The Observatory will play a key role in promoting the development of new technologies as a factor of growth and competitiveness for Spain and the countries around us”.
The Observatory counts on an Advisory Board composed of renowned legal professionals from Big Tech (Ana Buitrago – Amazon), Norberto Andrade (IE Professor) and the judiciary.
The Observatory responds to the existing need in the market for a reference centre in Spanish to explore and debate the impact of technology in the regulatory sphere, given the need to not only incorporate the opportunities and advantages it offers, but also to protect the rights of individuals and legal entities in this new scenario. The Observatory is the result of the union of the leading academic institution in digital skills and the leading law firm in innovation and digital economy.
During her participation, Clara Ruipérez, director of legal content strategy at Telefónica, offered an analysis of how the legal and technological realities coexist in this scenario marked by innovation, in the face of a legal system that needs to adapt to a highly technological society. Her participation was followed by a debate, moderated by Touriño with Lidia Peyrona (head of legal advisory services at IBM Spain, Portugal, Greece and Israel), Miriam Oñoro (director of digital legal advisory services and data protection at Banco Santander) and Francisco de Elizalde, professor at IE Law School at IE University. The speakers discussed the impact of technology on society, regulation and the practice of law, as well as the legal and regulatory challenges we will face in the coming years.
