CGAE opens applications for the tutored HELP course on artificial intelligence and human rights
CGAE's tutored HELP course on AI and human rights: applications until 15 November, in English, free and for practising lawyers.
The General Council of Spanish Lawyers (CGAE) has opened the application period for the tutored HELP course Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, an online training programme aimed at practising lawyers. The deadline ends on 15 November 2026, according to the call distributed through the Illustrious Bar Association of Valencia.
The course is part of the HELP programme (Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals) and combines the tutored online format with a mandatory in-person launch event on 9 December in Madrid, at CGAE headquarters (Paseo de Recoletos, 13).
Conditions of the call
The call information sets the following conditions:
- Subject: artificial intelligence and human rights.
- Format: tutored online, with a mandatory in-person launch on 9 December in Madrid.
- Language: English, with a minimum B2 level.
- Cost: free of charge, with expenses covered to participate in the launch event.
- Addressees: practising lawyers.
- Application deadline: until 15 November 2026.
Applications are submitted through the form enabled for that purpose, accessible from the call published by ICAV.
What the human rights approach brings to practice
The lawyer trained in AI from the human rights angle acquires concrete argumentative tools: the framework of Article 8 of the European Convention for data processing and algorithmic surveillance, the ECtHR doctrine on non-discrimination and bias in automated decisions, the effective remedy standard of Article 13 against decisions the affected person cannot understand or challenge, and the principle of meaningful human control running through recent European regulation. These are arguments already appearing in claims against scoring systems, in challenges to automated administrative decisions and in the defence of algorithm-managed workers, and they will gain weight as the AI Regulation deploys its sanctioning regime.
The HELP programme: an international training network
HELP (Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals) was born in 2015 as a Council of Europe initiative to support its member States in applying the European Convention on Human Rights at national level, pursuant to Article 46 of the Convention itself, which obliges States to comply with ECtHR judgments in cases to which they are party. The methodology combines online training, materials adapted to each legal system and cooperation with national training institutions —professional associations, judicial schools, universities— with local tutors in each country.
The programme has grown into a network of more than 35 universities in 28 European countries. Its catalogue ranges from introduction to the Convention and the ECtHR to thematic courses on asylum, data protection, gender violence, freedom of expression or environmental law, and it is updated as the Council of Europe develops new instruments. The latest of these is the 2024 Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence, Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, the first binding international treaty on AI, with which this course connects directly.
Training at the centre of the professional debate
Artificial intelligence and its impact on human rights has become one of the most in-demand training subjects for the legal profession, due to the confluence of several factors: the progressive entry into application of the European AI Regulation, the proliferation of judicial and administrative uses of algorithmic systems and the incorporation of AI tools into the daily work of the firm. Specific training at the intersection of AI and fundamental rights —not just in the instrumental use of tools— responds to a different need: understanding the framework of affected rights, the European standards and the arguments for protection.
Where the AI Regulation regulates systems and obligations of providers and deployers, the Council of Europe's approach works from the affected rights and the standards of the Convention and the ECtHR —algorithmic bias and discrimination, automated decisions and effective judicial protection, surveillance and privacy—, a plane on which claims before the courts are beginning to move. For the lawyer, knowing both planes is already a practical advantage: the defence of a client affected by an algorithmic system is articulated with arguments from the AI Regulation and the GDPR, but also with human rights standards.
The three lines of AI training currently offered to the profession are complementary: tool courses teach how to use AI in the firm; compliance courses, how to advise the client developing or deploying systems; human rights courses —like this one— provide the framework of standards underlying regulation and future litigation. The free nature of the HELP format, with a national tutor and a Council of Europe certificate, makes it a low-cost option to cover the third.
The tutored format of the HELP programme, with follow-up and an in-person launch, is designed for professional practice, and its free condition —including expenses for the launch event— removes the cost barrier. The trade-off is the language: the course is taught in English and requires a minimum B2 level, something to consider before applying.
A demanding format despite being free
That the course is free does not mean it is accessible without effort: the B2 English level is an effective entry requirement, the tutored format demands continuous follow-up over the weeks of duration and attendance at the in-person launch in Madrid is mandatory. For the practising lawyer, the practical recommendation is to honestly assess availability before applying: places on HELP courses are limited and dropping out mid-course leaves vacant a place funded with programme funds. Those who meet the conditions obtain in return a Council of Europe certification, with growing curriculum weight in selection processes for technology, data and compliance areas.
Context: the profession trains in AI
The call comes at a time when artificial intelligence training occupies a central place on the profession's agenda, from the AEPD's criteria on biometric processing and consent to practical guides on the AI Regulation and high-risk cases. Bar associations have been expanding their offer in this field —as shown by ICAV's own programming, which launches its accounting course for lawyers this quarter— and association meetings incorporate technology as a central theme, in the line of the 3rd ICAM-ICAB In-House Lawyers Meeting.
For those interested, the practical recommendation is not to delay the application: the deadline closes on 15 November and the number of participants in tutored courses with an in-person component is limited.
Frequently asked questions
Who organises the HELP course on AI and human rights?
The General Council of Spanish Lawyers, within the HELP programme of human rights training for legal professionals.
What is the application deadline?
Until 15 November 2026, through the form enabled in the call.
How much does it cost?
It is free of charge, and expenses for participating in the launch event are covered.
In what language is it taught?
In English; a minimum B2 level is required.
Is it online or in-person?
Tutored online, with a mandatory in-person launch on 9 December 2026 at CGAE headquarters in Madrid.
Sources
Fuentes
- Source. Accessed 9 November 2026.
The specific data in this article come from the official sources cited.
