Integrating AI into India’s Law Schools, ETEducation
By Prof (Dr) P Sree Sudha LLD (NLSIU)
For years, legal work was defined by its demand for well-crafted legal arguments based on exhaustive research, past precedences and arguments that went on to shape judgements that followed perhaps even 50 years thereon. But just like all other fields, legal is no more immune from the supercharged presence and use of AI tools and how easily people can now at least figure out the basics of legal action when in doubt. Therefore, law schools too need to change their outlook and tackle this new AI breakthrough with both clarity as well as logic to ensure that while AI tools can enhance projected outcomes, without jeopardising the correct legal frameworks. So, while people want to remain educated, they should be exposed to the right information and not be given legal advice that turns out to be counterproductive.
We’re talking about AI platforms that streamline research, smart systems that tutor on the go, and software that scans contracts in seconds. While these practices are already routine in corporate legal teams, the challenge lies in weaving changing trends into syllabus that can be practically taught on campuses as well.
That said, bringing AI into the fold is bound to stir up thorny issues around ethics, rules of the road, and how we teach concepts such as baked-in biases in algorithms, leaks of sensitive info, the black-box mystery of how these tools decide, and what it all means for the lawyer’s role going forward.
Shaping law school curricula in a digital world
Tucking technology law into the heart of the curriculum? It’s not optional anymore. With AI, data privacy headaches, blockchain twists, and cyber threats rewriting the rules of practice, students need more than just lectures to keep up. They need real world case study and judgements to understand how to present their arguments in an age where everything becomes digitally available and relevant as well. It is imperative to find this balance of old and new curriculum while overhauling legal syllabi in Indian colleges.
Looking back: AI’s roots in law
AI didn’t just drop into the legal scene yesterday; it’s been making a case for itself for decades now and the availability of internet helped push the boom ahead. Students across the world, within local communities and even at different levels of courts have benefited from the archives of cases, judgements, data and expert opinions while understanding how to present a winning argument for their cases. The real question left for legal experts now is whether they are using the tools for their benefits or are they at the risk of getting biased information from platforms we still don’t understand a lot about. Which again brings us to the point of finding a balance between legal practices bound in research and law books and enhancing our worldview through available AI tools.
How different countries are tackling it
AI in legal teaching has been evolving for some time now. Different nations have been working on the weave in their own way.
United States for example schools are teaming up with tech outfits to plug AI research tools straight into hands-on sessions. Workshops are teaching professors about weaving in natural language processing tricks, and classes dive into holding algorithms accountable plus shielding data.
United Kingdom: UK programs lean hard into picking AI apart. Students pore over machine-spun legal advice, examining the balances in hands-off decisions. Cross-field talks with coders and ethics pros in order to build out a deeper, more rounded view.
Australia: Aussies bet big on learning by doing. They run mock “virtual firms” where students test-drive AI for breaking down contracts, building muscle memory for a practice laced with tech.
Singapore: In this tech-forward hub, AI’s baked in from day one. Kids tap into souped-up databases via natural language processing and outcome-predicting models, making digital fluency as basic as black-letter law.
European Union Member States: EU spots drill down on sticking to data safeguards and keeping things fair. Schools guide students in sizing up AI against the GDPR’s guardrails and the bloc’s fresh rules for AI you can trust.
India: Indian law schools have historically emphasized doctrinal learning, case law analysis, and courtroom advocacy. The introduction of five-year integrated law programmes, clinical legal education, and mandatory internships under the Bar Council of India (BCI) Legal Education Rules marked significant reforms. However, the curriculum remains largely conventional, with limited exposure to emerging technologies. As legal practice increasingly relies on digital tools, e-courts, online dispute resolution (ODR), and legal analytics, the existing framework must evolve to incorporate AI literacy.
Updating Assessment Methods for Law Students is necessary to move beyond traditional memory-based exams and evaluate real skills needed in modern legal practice. Traditional exams can’t fully measure technological proficiency. Instead, law schools should consider simulated e-discovery tasks, drafting automated contract templates, using legal AI tools to solve case problems or using online filings & moot courts for practices. This will therefore encourage skills that modern lawyers actually need.
Prof (Dr) P Sree Sudha LLD (NLSIU) is the Dean – School of Law, SRMIST.
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed are solely of the author and ETEDUCATION does not necessarily subscribe to it. ETEDUCATION will not be responsible for any damage caused to any person or organisation directly or indirectly.
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