In an era where technology interweaves with nearly every aspect of life, law schools are diligently adapting their curricula to equip fledgling attorneys with the necessary skills for navigating this evolving field. Amidst a backdrop of rapid technological advancements, future lawyers are being trained not only in the art of litigation and jurisprudence but also in the realms of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and legal technology applications.
To ensure their graduates are well-prepared for a changing legal landscape, several law schools have taken significant strides in integrating technology into law education. This move is aimed at producing lawyers who are not just proficient in traditional legal skills but are also tech-savvy and capable of handling cases that involve complex technology-based issues.
One innovator in this field is Duquesne University’s Thomas R. Kline School of Law, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It offers a robust “Law and Computing Concentration” involving six cutting-edge courses designed in collaboration with a major legal technology company and the R&D division of Pinsent Masons, a law firm based in London. Subjects range from Coding for Lawyers to Natural Language Lawyering, all emphasizing hands-on coding, primarily in Python. Wesley Oliver, the program’s director, asserted that the curriculum fosters not just the use of legal tech but the creation of it, equipping students to be pioneers in improving the legal profession through technology.
Meanwhile, Georgetown Law in Washington, D.C., steers its Technology Law and Policy Scholars Program towards understanding the intersection of technology, law, and policy. The program includes seminars across the first and second academic years, spanning ethical debates to the institutions shaping technology law. Program Director Mary Pat Dwyer highlighted that while only around 40% of participants have a tech-centric background, the curriculum is immensely diverse, drawing individuals from various fields including journalism and the arts, supporting a blend of perspectives in technology law discussions.
In Norman, Oklahoma, the University of Oklahoma College of Law houses the Center for Technology & Innovation in Practice, focusing on combating attorney burnout by enhancing technological fluency. Each semester, law students here engage in a program that includes automating routine tasks with artificial intelligence and learning about non-traditional billing models. Sean Allan Harrington, the center’s technology innovation director, emphasized the dual benefits of learning these skills – reducing work-related stress and focusing on more intellectually rewarding legal tasks.
The evolving curricula at these law schools exemplify a broader trend towards integrating technology with traditional legal training, recognizing the imperative to equip the next generation of lawyers with tools and knowledge that align with the modern technological landscape.
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