A Message from Dean Lau
The question facing every law school today isn’t whether artificial intelligence will change the legal profession. It already has. The question is whether we’re preparing lawyers to lead that change — or simply adapt to it. At Syracuse University College of Law, our answer is clear. We are preparing our students to lead in an AI-enabled world, giving them the tools to understand the technology, the ethical framework to use it responsibly, and the legal fluency to help shape the rules that will govern it.
That commitment shows up in concrete ways. In a first-of-its-kind AI residency. In a new course pairing AI law with ethics, because understanding the technology is only half the challenge. In an Innovation Law Center that credentialed students as patent agents before they ever sat for the bar exam.
Preparing students to lead doesn’t stop at AI. Syracuse Law is expanding where legal education reaches and who it serves — from students traveling to Zurich to study international tax law alongside global practitioners, to JDinteractive (JDi) graduates now practicing in Alaska, Hawaii, rural Georgia, and beyond, meeting the need for legal representation in communities that have long gone without it. We are working to both expand what a legal education can look like and who it can serve.
This issue of Syracuse Law Magazine is full of their stories, along with those of alumni building companies, shaping policy, and advising global institutions at the intersection of law and technology in ways that would have been difficult to imagine a decade ago. And yours is part of the same tradition. The legal profession is changing faster than it ever has. What doesn’t change, and what never has, is the value of a community that prepares you not just for where the law is, but for where it’s going.
Thank you for being part of ours.
Dean Terence Lau L’98
Preparing Law Students for AI Transformation in Legal Practice
Artificial Intelligence, and generative AI in particular, is no longer a distant concept for lawyers and soon-to-be lawyers. This is a new technological revolution in the legal industry. James Kelly L’99, member of the Board of Advisors of Syracuse University College of Law, and partner and chair, New York Private Equity, at DLA Piper LLP (U.S.), who has a role in helping shape his firm’s AI transformation efforts, shared insights on how AI is changing the practice and advice on what law students can do now to build their AI skills.
Alumnus Finds Success Contributing to Seismic Shift in Technology
An entrepreneurial spirit, fascination with technology and interest in the law has taken Kevin Whittaker L’02 on a career path that has brought him to the heart of Silicon Valley, giving him the opportunity to contribute to complex legal issues that disruptive technology like artificial intelligence (AI) and big data has brought to businesses around the globe.
Making Team USA: An Alumna’s Unexpected Journey to the 2026 Paralympics
“Two years ago, I found out I was going to be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. And now I’m going to the Paralympics,” reflects Syracuse University College of Law alumna Katie (Boumans) Verderber L’16. “It doesn’t seem possible.”
Retiring From the Bench, the Hon. Thérèse Wiley Dancks L’91 Leaves Legacy of Paying it Forward to Students at Syracuse Law
The Hon. Thérèse Wiley Dancks L’91 retired from the bench this February after a respected career that spanned several decades. “It has been my mission throughout my career to pay it forward to the next generation of lawyers,” says Dancks, who has demonstrated that commitment at her alma mater, Syracuse University College of Law, by serving as a mentor to many and offering externships to numerous Syracuse Law students.
A Portrait for the Ages: Joseph R. Biden Jr. L’68, H’09,46th President of the United States, Returns to Syracuse Law
“Our hope is that this portrait will inspire generations of law students to come, a proud reminder to every student who walks through our library doors of what is possible when you combine a Syracuse law education with the courage to serve something larger than yourself.” — Dean Terence Lau L’98
Future Orange Lawyers
