Page 18 - Pierce County Lawyer - January February 2025

AI in Legal Education: a Seattle University Excerpt
Artificial intelligence is finding
its way into every facet of our
lives, and the legal industry is
no exception. Westlaw and LexisNexis,
among other legal technology providers,
have implemented AI tools to streamline
processes like doc review, deposition
preparation, and database searches.
So, how are law schools training
the next generation of lawyers to
effectively and ethically use these tools
to advance the interests of justice?
Fortunately, Professors Kathryn Boling
and LeighAnne Thompson of Seattle
University School of Law have insights
and reflections to share.
First, AI is no new companion to the
legal profession. AI-driven natural
language searches have been present
in Westlaw and Lexis for years, but
generative AI is that new shiny tech you
keep hearing so much about. Generative
AI is the difference between searching for
“prosecutorial misconduct” and finding
cases that mention that term and asking
Lexis AI+ to write a memorandum
summarizing the status of prosecutorial
misconduct cases in Washington State.
Understanding these tools' differences is
critical for budding legal professionals
who will undoubtedly integrate these
programs into their practice.
At Seattle University, 1Ls are permitted
to experiment with AI from day one
of legal writing while they learn the
foundational knowledge and skills of
legal writing and research. Students are
advised from the get-go that AI tools
are imperfect and implicate their ethical
obligations under the RPC. Nonetheless,
when it comes to really learning what
AI can and can’t do, “trial and error in
an environment with lots of safeguards
is the best approach,” says Professor
Boling, the newly appointed Director of
the school’s Legal Writing Program. “Our
assignments in the fall semester take
students through the process of research
and writing step by step, with lots of
checkpoints along the way. That means
that students experimenting with AI can
see where it is on track and where it is
leading them astray.” With that exposure
to the strengths and weaknesses of
AI, students are better positioned
to understand how it relates to the
professional rules governing competence,
communication, nonlawyer assistance,
and submissions to the court. While
AI experimentation is not required of
students in the fall semester, some 1L
legal writing faculty do deliberately
bring it into the classroom in the spring,
leading discussions and demonstrations
of how it might be helpful (or hurtful)
for specific tasks.
Professor Thompson, the Associate
Director of Digital Innovation in the Law
Library and the Associate Director of the
Technology, Innovation Law, and Ethics
Program, takes the use of AI to the next
level in the upper-division courses she
teaches. For example, students in her
Artificial Intelligence and the Practice
of Law course have collaborated with
computer science graduate students to
use AI to improve access to justice. In
collaboration with Dr. Bowen, Director
of the Family Law Center, students
prototyped a generative AI tool to help
survivors of domestic violence seek
protection orders. Law students will
have the opportunity to build on this
work with Computer Science faculty and
students in a new spring course, Ethical
Legal Technology Innovation. In her
Professional Responsibility Technology
Lab, students have the opportunity to
explore the intersection of using AI in
the practice of law with the RPCs. Seattle
University is offering other ways for
students to become acquainted with AI
tools: certifications in e-discovery and
legal tech tools are being offered in a
pilot program to a group of students for
the first time this year.
So, what are Professor Boling and
Thompson’s suggestions for those
who want to make AI a member of
their legal team? Professor Thompson
has a four-step approach, which is
particularly enlightening: understanding,
experimenting, practicing, and
supervising.
First, start by understanding the AI
itself. Understanding the basics of how
the technology works will empower
users to evaluate the utility, the benefits,
and the risks. Further, understand the
licensing agreement for the tool you
plan to use: Will the data you input
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