Tech Advances Inspire Law School Curriculum Changes

Bloomberg Law, Tech Advances Inspire Curriculum Changes in Law School:

Law schools have wrestled with the best way to update their curricula and to integrate artificial intelligence into the classroom over the last couple of years, leaving many law firms responsible for supplementing the training of their new associates.

However, data from Bloomberg Law’s Spring 2024 Path to Practice survey—including faculty and student respondents from more than 150 US law schools—suggest that the status quo is changing. Technological advancements have pushed law schools to address longstanding gaps in tech skill development, specifically by embracing and offering more AI-focused courses.

Technology Has Encouraged Curriculum Changes …
The survey asked faculty respondents whether their institutions have asked or encouraged them to update their courses in response to new technological advancements in the legal industry.

More than a third (28% plus 6%) of the 108 faculty members who responded to this question said “yes.”

While over half of the faculty members who responded to this question said “no,” a closer look shows much more encouraging data. Of these respondents, 20% said they weren’t asked because their courses already have such updates. Which means that almost half (20% plus 28%) of the respondents have updated courses to incorporate new technology updates.

The data indicate that both law schools and their faculty understand the importance of keeping up with tech and that their students are doing the same.

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