U.S. law schools adopt varying AI integration policies

U.S. law schools are adopting diverse strategies to address the integration of artificial intelligence into legal practice. While the American Bar Association reports that at least 80% of attorneys use AI daily, academic institutions are divided on how to prepare students.

Arizona State University is incorporating AI into its curriculum to train students to use the technology responsibly and ethically. Sean Harrington, director of the AI and Legal Tech Studio, emphasizes that because the stakes in litigation are high, students must be comfortable using AI in high-stakes settings through clinical and practical experience.

In contrast, several other institutions are implementing restrictive policies to preserve independent legal reasoning. The University of Chicago Law School will prohibit laptops, tablets, and phones in its first-year core curriculum starting in the 2026-27 academic year, with exams conducted without internet access. Berkeley Law has also established a policy prohibiting the use of AI for conceptualizing, drafting, or editing work submitted for credit. Other schools, including Columbia Law School, are also part of a trend of rewriting rules to balance technological training with the need for AI-resilient critical thinking.