Shaping the Future of AI and Law
Artificial intelligence is transforming how lawyers advocate, advise, and shape policy. At Syracuse University College of Law, we prepare students to meet this moment—integrating AI into our coursework, faculty research, and experiential learning opportunities. From national security and ethics to innovation in legal practice, Syracuse Law equips tomorrow’s lawyers to lead in an AI-powered world.
AI in the Classroom and Beyond
Syracuse Law is expanding our curriculum to integrate AI into our courses, residencies, and practical learning experiences that prepare students for the realities of modern legal practice.
Faculty participate in regularly scheduled workshops and trainings to stay current with AI developments and pedagogical best practices, ensuring they can effectively guide students in this rapidly evolving landscape.
Students receive direct instruction on using AI tools in legal research, practice applying them in legal analysis and writing, and engage with essential questions about how AI is transforming the profession—all while studying its implications through the lens of ethical and competent legal advocacy.
AI Courses
- The Intersection of Law and Artificial Intelligence (Fall 2025) residency course taught by Professor Jack Graves
- Artificial Intelligence Law and Ethics (Spring 2026), taught by Professor Mary Szto
- AI, Synthetic Biology, Emerging Technologies and Global Security, taught by the Hon. James E. Baker
- AI in the National Security Research Center, taught by Professor Laurie Hobart
- AI in Advanced Legal Research, taught by Professor Jan Fleckenstein
Law Firms in the AI Generation: Fall 2025 Guest Speaker
Jen Berrent, CEO of Covenant, led a conversation on how artificial intelligence is transforming legal practice and reshaping the future of law firms. Berrent, drawing from her experience as both a lawyer and CEO, provided insights into the evolving AI landscape and discussed its implications for lawyers, clients, and the delivery of legal services in the coming years.
AI in Faculty Scholarship
Discover how our faculty are exploring AI’s power to transform legal practice and strengthen public institutions. Their scholarship leads national conversations and drives meaningful change in courts, communities, and national security.
Leaders in AI and National Security
Promise and Peril: The Next Ten Years of National Security AI and Its Regulation, published in International Security Studies and Technology, Edward Elgar Publishing (2025), by the Hon. James E. Baker.
“AI, Bias, and National Security Profiling” published in the Berkeley Technology Law Journal, by Professor Laurie Hobart. Hobart examines how AI systems used in national security can unintentionally scale human biases, creating urgent civil-rights challenges our current legal frameworks aren’t equipped to address. Her work not only highlights these gaps but also offers paths forward for advocates seeking stronger protections in the age of AI.
The Centaur’s Dilemma: National Security Law for the Coming AI Revolution (Brookings, 2021), by the Hon. James E. Baker.
AI in the Courts
Baker and Hobart, Artificial Intelligence in Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence, Fourth Edition (National Academies of Sciences: 2025), by the Hon. James E. Baker and Professor Laurie Hobart.
Written Opinions in State Intermediate Appellate Courts: Current Landscapes and the AI Horizon in the Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics, written by Professor Aliza Milner. Milner examines how states regulate when—and how—intermediate appellate courts issue written opinions. The paper explores the rationale behind limiting appellate writing, why these rules matter for judicial transparency and accuracy, and how emerging AI technologies may reshape the future of state appellate decision-making.
A Judicial Guide to Artificial Intelligence (a Federal Judicial Center Booklet, 2023), by the Hon. James E. Baker with Laurie Hobart and Matthew Mittelsteadt. The booklet addresses the role of judges as evidentiary gatekeepers, constitutional guardians, and potential consumers with respect to AI.
Research Uses Artificial Intelligence to Improve Fairness of Criminal Court Scheduling
Professor Lauryn Gouldin and colleagues at the University of Virginia and Washington University in St. Louis received a $600,000 NSF grant to create an AI scheduling system for criminal courts that considers defendants’ individual circumstances—like work, childcare, and transportation—to reduce missed appearances and improve fairness. The multi-disciplinary project aims to make court-date scheduling more equitable and efficient through a forward-looking application of AI in the justice system.
Legal Principles for Artificial Agents
Professor Shubha Ghosh is conducting research, Legal Principles for Artificial Agents, as a visiting scholar at Bucerius Law School in Hamburg, Germany. Ghosh also recently wrote a chapter in the Elgar Concise Encyclopedia of Artificial Intelligence and the Law, in Elgar Concise Encyclopedias in Law, Edward Elgar Publishing (2025).