Legal education is constantly evolving to equip law students with the skills to succeed. Although the profession itself is often critiqued as a “closed shop,” legal educators have a responsibility to keep pace with technological advancements to help future-proof the next generation of legal professionals.
New technologies such as artificial intelligence are expected to reshape the legal profession from the ground up, and quickly. AI’s threats to legal professionals are still in play, but we haven’t been paying as much attention to how AI and innovative edtech has been enhancing traditional modes of legal education and training over the last several years.
If we look beyond the future-gazing discussions on “robot judges,” we see that technology is already delivering a wide variety of real-world benefits in legal education, boosting access to people from more diverse backgrounds and creating exciting learning opportunities.
Although many students prefer to attend in-person classes at set times and in particular locations, we can now deliver distance learning courses that feature live sessions in virtual classrooms with an expert tutor. Communities of learners now organically connect using social media platforms for peer support. This offers opportunities to enter the legal profession for those in underserved areas, as well as to carers and individuals with disabilities who may be unable to commute easily or find travel prohibitively expensive.
Edtech has the capacity to offer more interactive and experiential learning methods to improve the quality of legal education.
For instance, virtual reality and augmented reality technologies, which are powered by AI algorithms, could play a crucial role in creating lifelike simulated learning environments. Solicitors qualifying examination students might practice client interviews by engaging with AI chatbots, allowing them to apply legal principles and enhance their problem-solving skills.
AI algorithms also could be deployed to analyze written assignments or provide audio or video responses to assess students’ understanding and provide personalized feedback. The time-saving benefits could allow tutors to focus greater attention on supporting struggling students.
At BPP University, we already use machine learning technology to deliver bite-sized law topics and continual assessment. Our platform gathers insights on students’ ongoing learning, allowing them to create a personalized learning pathway and to track progress (alongside their tutors). This is such a useful tool for the vast SQE syllabus, which requires learners to revise huge amounts of legal knowledge.
As well as reshaping the delivery and assessment of legal training, educators are having to rethink how the content of these courses can be modernized to incorporate the necessary new digital skills. If AI algorithms can eliminate manual research methods, legal research courses will need to shift to focusing more on how best to use these tools.
At the same time, SQE training providers are placing greater focus on subjects that equip students to deal with the many new ethical and legal challenges.
Whether you’re looking at the content, delivery, assessment, or accessibility of legal education, the transformative impact of technology isn’t a hypothesis—it’s reality. Legal educators must maintain an open, forward-looking perspective while staying aware of potential threats to academic integrity.
For the sake of the next generation of legal professionals, educators can’t afford to stick their heads in the sand, even when it comes to worrying about technological advancements. The greater the implications, the greater the onus on educators to provide students with the tools and knowledge to navigate this space so they can have long and fruitful professional careers in law.
This article does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg Industry Group, Inc., the publisher of Bloomberg Law and Bloomberg Tax, or its owners.
Author Information
Jo-Anne Pugh is the dean of BPP University Law School, where she has worked since 2004. She has many experience in legal education across program design, operational management, and leadership.
Write for Us: Author Guidelines