We specialise in the legal review of new weapons, including autonomous weapons and AI command decision tools.
Latest Article 36 Legal News and Events
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Coming soon.. RBD Rating for Military AI
Article 36 Legal, together with the LBD Ambassadors, are developing an objective responsible rating for military AI built on international law, recognised ethical AI principles, engineering assurance standards, and governance best practice, the RBD Rating will give states, investors and industry a clear benchmark for what “responsible” military AI means in practice.
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AI-DSS: risks, challenges and mitigations
In this special edition of the LBD Live Podcast, we hear from Assistant Professor Jessica Dorsey (Utrecht University) and Heidi Kandiel (International Committee of the Red Cross - ICRC) as they unpack the risks, challenges and potential safeguards for integrating AI-DSS into military decision-making.
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Article 36 Legal joins Deakin University's Centre for Law as Protection as an Industry Partner
We are pleased to announce we have joined Deakin University’s Centre for Law as Protection, co-directed by Professor Shiri Krebs.
Our first collaboration is the Lawful by Design Industry Workshop at Deakin Downtown on 10 October 2025.
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Student Ambassador Scheme Commenced
The LBD Student Ambassador Scheme aims to empower students to become informed advocates for responsible and lawful innovation in military technology.
Our 2025-2026 cohort has been selected and will commence planning for local, regional and global student led events.
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30 x 30 Program
Aiming to build national capacity for responsible development and acquisition of new technologies through legal review practices. Seeking 30 countries by 2030.
Lawful by Design - Responsible Military Innovation
Article 36 Legal helps defence innovators bring new military technologies from concept to capability—lawfully, responsibly, and without costly delays or redesigns.
Veteran-owned and Australia-based, we specialise in international humanitarian law (IHL), Article 36 legal reviews, and export control compliance. Our expertise bridges the gap between cutting-edge engineering and the legal obligations that govern the use of weapons, autonomous systems, and AI-enabled decision-support tools.
Founded in 2019 as International Weapons Review Pty Ltd, we deliver clear, practical, and technically informed guidance—so you can meet legal requirements, protect your reputation, and win the trust of customers and governments.
From prototype to deployment, we make lawful design a competitive advantage.
Autonomous and AI-enabled weapons (AWS), as well as decision-support systems (DSS), must be designed to comply with the requirements of international humanitarian law (IHL).
Under international law, states are obligated to assess the legality of all weapons before their deployment in armed conflict.
Integrating a client’s international humanitarian law (IHL) obligations into the design and development of weapons, including AWS and DSS, makes commercial sense as it helps ensure the capability can successfully pass the acquiring State’s legal review.
With our support, you can embed your client’s IHL requirements into the system design from the outset avoiding costly R&D investments in systems that meet performance specifications but fail legal review.
Our services
We are the leading advisors to defence industry, states and organisations on the legal review of new weapons.
Article 36 legal input to Capability Design and Development
Article 36 and IHL Training
Pre-investment due diligence and pre-tender bid Article 36 compliance report