/>iAs AI becomes an integral part of legal practice, law schools nationwide are updating their curricula to prepare students for an AI-driven profession. Washington University in St. Louis School of Law is among the institutions investing heavily in this area, with a stated goal of becoming the global leader in AI education and training. But it’s not without competition.
This past year, WashU Law entered the U.S. News & World Report’s top 14 law schools, surpassing Cornell Law School for the coveted “T14” designation. Building on that momentum, WashU Dean Stefanie Lindquist has made her law school’s AI ambitions clear.
“WashU Law is positioning itself as the nation’s leading law school in artificial intelligence and the law, and our vision is global,” Dean Lindquist told The National Law Review in an exclusive interview.
So far, Dean Lindquist and WashU Law have taken concrete steps to realize their lofty ambitions.
Last week, WashU Law announced a star-studded AI Advisory Board featuring some of the biggest players in legal tech, including Pablo Arredondo (Co-Founder, Casetext & VP, Thomson Reuters), Keith Carlson (CTO, Relativity), Judge Joshua Deahl (D.C. Court of Appeals), John Haddock (Chief Business Officer, Harvey), Hon. Bridget McCormack (CEO & President, American Arbitration Association; former Chief Justice, Michigan Supreme Court), Sara Miro (Director of Knowledge & Innovation, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP), Blake Rooney (CIO, Husch Blackwell), Evan Shenkman (Chief Innovation Officer, Fisher Phillips), Scott Stevenson (CEO & Founder, Spellbook), and Max Junestrand (CEO/Founder, Legora).
The AI Advisory Board’s “expertise and vision will ensure WashU Law continues to lead in preparing lawyers, scholars, and policymakers for the future of law in a rapidly changing world,” said Dean Lindquist.
Last January, WashU Law became one of the first law schools to offer comprehensive AI training for students, faculty, and alumni through a week-long program with Wickard.ai, covering AI fundamentals, legal applications, ethics, and future challenges. Building on that foundation, WashU then launched the WashU Law AI Collaborative, led by lecturer Ryan Durrie and adjunct professor Oliver Roberts, to drive AI policy research, AI education, CLE programming, and events advancing dialogue on AI and the law.
Some of these initiatives include WashU Law’s AI Policy CLE Series, a summer AI & the Future of Law program for aspiring law students, and Legal AI Demo Days, featuring top legal tech companies. Next month, WashU Law will bring its AI programming to Mississippi, where Professor Roberts will lead AI ethics training at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi’s 17th Annual Bench & Bar CLE Conference. Furthermore, in late October, WashU Law will host Legal Tech Week in conjunction with The National Law Review, where leaders in the legal AI industry will introduce some of the most exciting new AI tools available to the legal profession.
Through its AI Collaborative, WashU Law has also expanded its AI influence globally by developing AI partnerships with leading law schools around the world, including the University of Nottingham, Utrecht University, Universidad de La Sabana, Universidad Pontificia Comillas, Fudan University, and the University of Queensland School of Law.
“Through new international partnerships, from Dubai to Europe and beyond, we are extending WashU Law’s reach in the field of AI and legal innovation. These collaborations bring together scholars, practitioners, and technologists worldwide, enabling us to learn and lead on a global stage,” noted Dean Lindquist.
In January 2026, WashU Law is scheduled to host a global AI summit in Dubai, bringing together the top lawyers, regulators, and academics in the AI space, according to Dean Lindquist.
But as WashU Law aims to be the global leader in AI education, it still faces strong competition at home.
In February, Case Western Reserve School of Law became the first U.S. law school to require AI education for first-year law students. This groundbreaking program, designed and delivered by Wickard.ai, provided CWRU law students with hands-on, foundational knowledge in AI and legal practice.
Suffolk Law School has also long been at the forefront of legal technology education. Starting this fall, the law school now requires all first-year law students to take a course in Generative AI and recently launched a LLM in Legal Innovation and Technology. The law school also brought on adjunct professor Tom Martin, CEO and Founder of LawDroid, to teach courses in generative AI.
The University of Chicago Law School now offers courses in “Generative AI in Legal Practice,” “Editing, Advocacy, and AI,” and “Regulation of AI: Legal and Constitutional Issues.” The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School is also offering courses in generative AI this fall.
Vanderbilt Law School has also taken significant steps to advance legal AI education. The law school recently launched the Vanderbilt AI Law Lab (VAILL), which serves as a resource hub and training center for students and helps design legal AI tools. Next month, it will be hosting its inaugural Vanderbilt AI Governance Symposium, led by VAILL Co-Director and Professor of Law Mark Williams.
Similarly, the University of Miami School of Law unveiled the Miami Law and AI Lab led by Director Or Cohen-Sasson. The lab is an interdisciplinary effort to bridge the fields of law, technology, and policy, and the lab recently developed an AI-powered Bluebook citation tool.
As more law schools experiment with integrating AI into their curricula, the field remains wide open, with no single institution yet claiming clear dominance. In the coming months, as AI use in legal practice continues to grow, we can expect many more law schools to incorporate AI education into their programs. Schools that move early may gain a competitive edge in attracting prospective students and giving their graduates a distinct advantage in clerkships, summer associate programs, and long-term career placement.
