How Law Schools Are Preparing Students to Use Generative AI
September 4, 2025 — As generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) transforms the legal profession, law schools across the United States and globally are adapting their curricula to equip students with the skills to responsibly leverage these tools. From dedicated AI courses to hands-on clinical experiences, institutions are addressing both the practical applications and ethical challenges of Gen AI, ensuring graduates are prepared for a tech-driven legal landscape. Drawing on recent developments and insights from the legal education community, this report explores how law schools are integrating Gen AI into their programs.
Curriculum Integration and Specialized Courses
Law schools are increasingly incorporating Gen AI into their curricula, recognizing its growing role in legal practice. According to the 2024 AI and Legal Education Survey by the American Bar Association (ABA), 55% of 200 surveyed law schools now offer AI-specific courses, up from a negligible number just three years ago. These courses cover topics such as AI ethics, regulatory frameworks, and practical applications in legal research and drafting. For example:
- Suffolk University Law School introduced three AI-focused courses in 2024: Generative AI and the Delivery of Legal Services, Artificial Intelligence and the Law, and Emerging AI Regulatory Frameworks. These courses, led by experts like Dyane O’Leary, emphasize both theoretical understanding and hands-on use of AI tools.
- Georgetown Law offers 17 AI-related courses, addressing issues from intellectual property to privacy law, reflecting a comprehensive approach to AI’s legal implications. Professor Paul Ohm, with a computer science background, teaches students to critically assess AI’s strengths and limitations.
- University of California, Berkeley launched an LL.M. specialization in AI, focusing on its intersection with intellectual property, antitrust, and consumer protection. This program, described as a pilot, allows Berkeley to test innovative teaching methods before broader integration.
Additionally, schools like Vanderbilt Law School and Harvard Law School have established dedicated AI labs and initiatives. Vanderbilt’s AI Law Lab, for instance, develops tools like ClassInsight to provide real-time feedback on student comprehension, while Harvard’s Initiative on AI and the Law explores governance and ethical considerations.
Hands-On Training and Clinical Applications
Beyond theoretical coursework, law schools are embedding Gen AI into practical training through clinics and experiential learning. The ABA survey notes that 83% of responding schools offer opportunities, such as clinics, where students use AI tools in real-world scenarios.
- Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law integrates AI into its legal clinics, where students use AI-generated simulators to practice contract negotiations, court appearances, and document drafting for divorce and end-of-life planning. Daniel W. Linna, the school’s law and technology initiatives director, emphasizes turning experimental tools into substantive curriculum changes with measurable outcomes.
- Case Western Reserve University School of Law became the first to mandate AI training for all first-year students (1Ls) in February 2025, requiring completion of an “Introduction to AI and the Law” certification developed with Wickard.ai. This weekend program equips students with foundational AI skills for legal practice.
- The Colleges of Law offers a course, Building Legal AI Chatbots, where students design their own AI tools under the guidance of instructor Thomas Officer. This hands-on approach teaches students to combine legal expertise with AI, ensuring accuracy by restricting AI outputs to verified documents.
These initiatives reflect a shift toward preparing students for law firms’ increasing adoption of AI, with 30% of U.S. law offices using AI-based tools as of spring 2024, according to the ABA.
Ethical and Regulatory Training
A cornerstone of AI education is addressing ethical challenges, such as bias, transparency, and client confidentiality. Law schools are embedding these considerations into their curricula to ensure responsible use:
- AI Ethics Modules: Schools like Purdue Global Law and the University of Arizona emphasize ethical AI use, teaching students to align technology with professional conduct rules, particularly Rule 1.6 on confidentiality.
- Bias Awareness: Courses highlight risks like AI “hallucinations” (generating false information), as seen in high-profile cases where attorneys submitted AI-generated briefs with fictitious citations. Georgetown’s Professor Daniel Wilf-Townsend notes that while outright bans on AI were considered, schools now focus on teaching students to use AI as a resource while maintaining academic integrity.
- Regulatory Compliance: Programs like Berkeley’s Generative AI for the Legal Profession course include modules on navigating privacy laws (e.g., GDPR, CCPA) and ensuring secure data handling, critical for protecting client information when using AI tools.
The USPTO’s April 2024 guidance on AI use in patent prosecution, which emphasizes fact-checking AI outputs and adhering to the duty of candor, serves as a model for broader legal practice, reinforcing the need for oversight.
Adapting Academic Policies
Law schools are revising honor codes to address AI’s role in assignments and exams, balancing innovation with academic integrity:
- University of Chicago Law School initially applied plagiarism rules to AI use but updated its policy in Fall 2023 to allow AI for brainstorming and proofreading, though not for composing assignments or exams unless explicitly permitted.
- UC Berkeley permits AI for research and editing but prohibits its use in composing assignments or during exams, with professors able to set specific rules. Chris Hoofnagle, faculty director at Berkeley’s Center for Law & Technology, advocates for encouraging AI use that aligns with pedagogical goals.
- University of Michigan bans AI in application essays to preserve authenticity, while Arizona State’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law allows it with disclosure, viewing AI as akin to an admissions consultant.
The ABA has yet to issue uniform AI guidelines, leaving schools to craft policies tailored to their objectives. A 2024 Kaplan survey found that 54% of law schools lack official policies on AI use in admissions essays, highlighting the ongoing challenge of standardization.
Preparing for the Legal Job Market
Law firms increasingly expect graduates to be “AI-fluent,” as noted by Suffolk’s Dean Andrew Perlman. Schools are responding by aligning training with market demands:
- Lexis+ AI Integration: Since fall 2023, LexisNexis has provided its Gen AI platform to 100,000 students at ABA-accredited law schools, offering tools for conversational search, drafting, and document analysis. Nearly one in three ABA-accredited schools now mandates Lexis+ AI training, ensuring students are familiar with industry-standard tools.
- Market-Relevant Skills: Courses teach students to use AI for tasks like legal research (e.g., Westlaw Edge, Casetext), predictive analytics (e.g., Lex Machina), and contract analysis, giving graduates a competitive edge. Vanderbilt’s Caitlin Moon stresses the importance of “intentional use” to maximize AI’s benefits while recognizing its limitations.
Challenges and Future Directions
Despite progress, challenges persist. AI detection tools remain unreliable, complicating efforts to prevent misuse, and the rapid evolution of AI technologies outpaces curriculum updates. Some schools, criticized for “burying their heads in the sand,” lag in adopting AI training, risking unprepared graduates. Additionally, ensuring AI tools are accessible to students with disabilities—through features like speech-to-text or customized learning platforms—is a growing focus to promote inclusivity.
Looking ahead, law schools are poised to deepen AI integration. The University of Louisville’s Susan Tanner is developing a toolkit to help professors incorporate Gen AI into legal writing curricula, while Yale Law School’s workshops on AI in empirical research and transcription reflect interdisciplinary approaches. As AI reshapes legal practice, schools must continue to evolve, ensuring students are not only proficient in traditional legal skills but also adept at navigating the ethical and practical complexities of Gen AI.
For more information, contact the ABA Section of Legal Education at legaled@americanbar.org or visit www.americanbar.org.