As generative AI (artificial intelligence) upends traditional legal workflows, law schools are racing to adapt education accordingly, with institutions such as Yale Law School and Suffolk University Law School emerging as leaders in the charge.
Why now? Tools like ChatGPT are increasingly employed in legal research and reporting, prompting law schools to overhaul their curricula rapidly.
A 2024 survey by the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Task Force on Law and Artificial Intelligence of 29 law schools revealed that 55% offer AI‑specific courses, and 62% integrate AI into first‑year classes. It also found 83% provide practical experiences such as clinics or intensives using AI, while 69% have adjusted academic integrity policies to address generative tools.
At Yale Law, the spring 2023 launch of “Artificial Intelligence, the Legal Profession, and Procedure” signaled a curriculum shake-up. Co‑lecturer William Eskridge Jr. emphasized that new models are accelerating changes in court procedures and the legal practice itself. Students not only explore AI’s technical workings but also simulate its use in litigation and ethics exercises.
Under Dean Andrew Perlman, a member of the ABA task force, Suffolk Law has introduced AI tools into core courses and rolled out an online LL.M. in Legal Innovation and Technology. Perlman has also experimented with ChatGPT in scholarship, co-authoring papers on the future of legal scholarship generated in part by AI.
Harvard Law School offers a formal “AI and the Law: Navigating the New Legal Landscape” program and its Center on the Legal Profession stresses AI’s sweeping impact. Professor David Wilkins cautions that while errors—such as fabricated case citations—are real risks, generative AI ultimately has the potential to “transform the practice of law.”
Yet integration into education remains uneven. A mid‑2025 Reuters report notes that only about 5% of law faculty are teaching generative AI in standalone courses, though many are weaving it into legal writing or clinic work. Certificates in legal tech and informatics are emerging at schools such as Berkeley and Arizona State.
Ethical and pedagogical considerations are front and center. A 2024 ABA white paper urges educators to expose students to AI tools, not just for efficiency, but to develop skills in evaluating AI outputs, maintaining academic integrity and addressing equity in technological access.
The road ahead: As AI tools become ubiquitous in legal practice, from e‑discovery to contract drafting, law schools confront the dual imperative of equipping students with technical fluency while reinforcing core legal judgment.
Dean Perlman sums it up: “We will be worried in the future about the competence of lawyers who don’t use these tools,” he told the Associated Press, reflecting a sentiment that resonates across academia.
