Legal education is being urged to evolve as artificial intelligence becomes embedded in everyday legal work. Rather than treating AI as a distant or purely theoretical concept, law schools are encouraged to teach students how AI tools are already being used for research, drafting, contract review, and litigation support. Graduates are increasingly expected to understand these tools before entering practice.
Educators experimenting with AI in law school classrooms have found that AI can improve efficiency and surface useful insights, but only when paired with strong foundational legal reasoning. Students benefit most when they first learn how to analyze problems independently and then use AI to refine, test, or expand their work, instead of relying on AI to replace thinking altogether.
The discussion also highlights that different AI systems can generate different answers to the same legal question. Teaching students to compare outputs, verify sources, and recognize hallucinations helps reinforce the idea that AI is fallible. This approach trains future lawyers to use AI cautiously and critically, rather than treating it as an authoritative source.
Ultimately, the argument is that law schools have a responsibility to prepare students for real-world legal practice as it exists today. Integrating AI training into core courses and clinics can help future lawyers use technology ethically, maintain professional judgment, and deliver higher-quality legal services in an increasingly tech-driven profession.
