Mississippi College School of Law has emerged as a pioneer in legal education by making artificial intelligence (AI) courses mandatory for all students. This initiative positions the institution as one of the first law schools in the nation to formally address AI’s growing role in jurisprudence, reflecting an increasing recognition of the technology’s influence on the legal profession.
Dean John Anderson emphasized the importance of training law students “to use the technology effectively, efficiently, and ethically” in order to mitigate risks associated with the misuse of AI. The school has implemented a curriculum that obligates all first-year students to complete a general AI course, distinguishing it as the first law school in the Southeast to adopt such a requirement.
Last month, first-year students participated in a two-day intensive course that included a hands-on project, marking the culmination of their initial AI education. This course aims to provide students with foundational knowledge and practical skills necessary for navigating the evolving legal landscape impacted by AI technologies.
AI encompasses technologies that mimic human cognitive functions, such as problem-solving and decision-making. Although research into AI has been ongoing since the 1940s, its transformative potential has only recently begun to manifest across various sectors, including law.
The rise in AI adoption has led to the development of advanced chatbots capable of engaging in human-like conversations. These tools can generate text, images, and even software code, but effective AI model training necessitates significant computational resources, often found in expansive data centers. In Mississippi alone, companies plan to invest over $60 billion in building these data centers.
While some state laws already regulate specific AI misuses, efforts are underway to establish broader legislative frameworks. Sen. Bradford Blackmon, a Democrat from Canton, has proposed several bills to address AI usage boundaries, although none have yet passed. He intends to revisit these proposals in the coming legislative session.
The increasing reliance on AI in the legal field has not been without complications. There have been notable incidents where AI models generated fictitious defendants, quotes, and cases. A federal judge in Mississippi recently acknowledged that his staff improperly utilized AI to draft a court order containing numerous errors. In another instance, a lawyer faced a $20,000 fine for incorporating AI-generated content in court filings. In response, Mississippi College aims to prepare its students to navigate these challenges while using AI responsibly.
Oliver Roberts, editor-in-chief of AI at The National Law Review and co-designer of the course at Mississippi College, reported high levels of engagement among students regarding the technology and its implications. “Whether you like AI or not, I believe you should be learning about it because you can strengthen your arguments for it or against it by learning the foundational concepts,” Roberts stated.
The course encompasses a variety of widely used tools, including the Westlaw AI research program, while also addressing the regulatory and ethical aspects of AI. As part of the curriculum, Roberts invited Blackmon to discuss the evolving AI landscape in Mississippi, enriching the students’ understanding of local context. The final project required students to utilize AI to prototype legal applications, encouraging creativity and practical problem-solving.
“This was purely the students getting creative, investigating shortcomings and inefficiencies in law, and then actively developing solutions,” Roberts remarked. The prototypes developed by students ranged from tools designed to enhance jury selection strategies and identify potential biases to applications for drafting legal memos and automating billable time tracking.
Anderson’s conviction about the necessity of AI education for law students crystallized at a judicial conference in the 5th Circuit earlier this year. A presenter showcased an AI system capable of reviewing millions of documents and generating a draft in seconds—an undertaking that traditionally would require a team of lawyers. “Of course you’re not going to submit this, but you’ve got a first draft that is pretty darn good,” Anderson noted.
The AI course is part of a larger initiative at Mississippi College to lead in ethical AI education, usage, and policy development. Last year, the college established the Center for AI Policy and Technology Leadership, a collaboration between its business and law schools aimed at producing academic research, white papers, and training opportunities for students and professionals alike.
Looking ahead, Anderson hinted at exciting developments within the law school, promising further announcements in the near future as it continues to forge a path in the integration of AI within legal education.
See also
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AI’s Growing Influence in Higher Education: Balancing Innovation and Critical Thinking
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