With the continuous development of legal technology, legal workers are facing new cognitive and technical challenges, which means that higher legal education must expand new knowledge areas in a timely manner and cultivate compound legal talents with dual backgrounds of "law + technology".
Throughout the world, most law schools have carried out innovative attempts in teaching and research in the field of legal technology, promoting the development of legal technology education and cultivating legal technology through various methods such as establishing legal technology degree programs, legal technology specialized courses, and legal technology research organizations. To recruit compound talents who understand both law and technology.
This article sorts out the innovative practices of many universities around the world, hoping to provide some additional information for friends who are interested in the legal technology industry.
1. Overview of legal science and technology education in domestic universities
1. Tsinghua University
On January 19, 2022, the Internet Judicial Research Institute of Tsinghua University was officially established. The institute was established with the support of the Supreme People's Court, the Department of Computer Science and Technology of Tsinghua University, and the Institute of Network Science and Cyberspace of Tsinghua University School of Law. It is committed to conducting strategic and critical research in the field of Internet justice. Carry out interdisciplinary research on gender-based and forward-looking issues, and promote original innovation in key Internet judicial technologies and the cultivation of cross-disciplinary talents.
On December 15, 2018, Tsinghua University Intelligent Rule of Law Research Institute was officially established and became the first full-time law master's degree program in computational law in the country. Its research directions include information technology legislative research, judicial big data research and legal artificial intelligence research, etc. Committed to building a world-class, domestically leading interdisciplinary research platform and innovative incubation center.
2. Peking University
On December 29, 2017, the Peking University Legal Artificial Intelligence Laboratory was officially established, aiming to establish an international and domestic first-class integrated industry-university-research base for law and artificial intelligence, and provide intellectual support for the development of the legal and artificial intelligence industries. , committed to cultivating high-end legal artificial intelligence compound talents.
Peking University has always been at the forefront of legal informatization. As early as the beginning of 1985, the Department of Law of Peking University was the first in China to carry out computer-aided legal research. From the Peking University Science and Technology Law Research Center to the Peking University Legal Information Center, and later to the Peking University magic weapon , Peking University has continued to practice in the field of legal technology and has launched the legal information and intelligent service platform with the largest number of users and the fastest update rate in the country.
3. Renmin University of China
On March 31, 2022, the Digital Law Teaching and Research Center of the Law School of Renmin University of China was officially established, committed to promoting the construction of the digital law discipline system, academic system, and discourse system.
Previously, in 2017, Renmin University Law School was the first in China to establish the Future Rule of Law Research Institute, which has a series of research platforms such as the Intelligent Technology and Online Dispute Resolution Research Center and the Smart Legal Technology Innovation Research Center to deeply promote the development of law and contemporary science and technology. of close integration.
In addition, the School of Law of Renmin University of China has also launched a legal master's degree training program in the direction of law and science and technology to cultivate practical and comprehensive outstanding legal talents by direction.
4. China University of Political Science and Law
On June 16, 2021, the Data Rule of Law Research Institute of China University of Political Science and Law was officially established to establish the discipline of data law to strengthen data rule of law research and talent training.
On December 29, 2017, China University of Political Science and Law School of Law established the Big Data and Artificial Intelligence Legal Research Center, which is committed to building an interdisciplinary academic community and exploring a new path for talent training and legal research in the era of big data and artificial intelligence. road.
On September 6, 2017, The School of Legal Information Management of China University of Political Science and Law was established. It is committed to the cultivation of professional talents in legal information management and the connection between the training of master's and doctoral students in network law.
5. Southwest University of Political Science and Law
On December 6, 2017, Southwest University of Political Science and Law officially established the Artificial Intelligence School of Law, dedicated to cultivating outstanding legal talents with "both general knowledge and expertise, and both knowledge and skills" for rule of law in China. It is the first in the country to realize the integrated training of "Bachelor, Master and PhD" talents of "artificial intelligence + law". In 2018,
College was the first in the country to add the secondary discipline of "Artificial Intelligence Law", covering four directions: data law, network law, algorithm regulation and computational law. At the same time, the Artificial Intelligence Legal Research Institute was established to conduct research on the training model and new technical issues of legal talents in the artificial intelligence era.
2. Overview of legal technology education in foreign universities
- United States
1. Stanford University
Stanford University Law School has launched artificial intelligence and legal seminar courses as early as 1984, and established the CodeX Legal Information Research Center in 2010 to explore the future of legal analysis automation. direction. In addition, Stanford University also has a Master of Laws program (MA in Law, Science & Technology) to cultivate talents with multi-disciplinary backgrounds.
At present, courses related to the field of "Law + Artificial Intelligence" at Stanford University include "Programming = Law", "Computers and Law", "Legal Technology and Information Science", "History and Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence", and "Legal Information Science" "wait.
2. Cornell University
Cornell University offers an LL.M. in Law, Technology and Entrepreneurship, allowing law students to study alongside business, engineering and design students. Its LL.M. program is practical-oriented, such as building technology products and businesses, giving budding technology lawyers an opportunity to explore.
3. Duke University
Duke University houses the Legal Technology Laboratory (DLTL), which aims to promote the development of start-ups and thereby change the way legal services are provided. In 2019, the Lab launched a legal technology incubator "pre-accelerator" in partnership with 12 legal technology companies to further promote the development of legal technology innovation projects.
- Singapore
1. National University of Singapore
In 2019, the National University of Singapore Law School established the Center for Technology, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence and the Law (TRAIL), which is dedicated to providing information on law, ethics, policy, philosophy and law related to the use and development of information technology. Regulatory issues as well as artificial intelligence, data analytics and robotics are debated.
2. Singapore Management University
Singapore Management University launched the Bachelor of Science (Computing & Law) program in August 2020 to cultivate multi-talented talents with technical and legal skills to provide new services and reimagine Cultivate digital law and governance professionals in a way that creates value in the digital economy .
- UK
1. University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh Law School has established a Master of Laws in Innovation, Technology and Law, which mainly explores the role of law in responding to, regulating and promoting new and emerging technologies, and also emphasizes the role of technology in supporting and guiding law. and reaction in judicial procedures, aiming to help students comprehensively understand and grasp the relationship between law, technology, business and society.
2. University of Manchester
In 2018, the University of Manchester launched the Law & Technology Initiative and reached cooperation with 3 institutions. This is the UK’s first industry-academic research collaboration, with the aim of forming a recognized legal technology talent standard and filling the skills gap required by the next generation of legal professionals.
3. The main practical methods of legal science and technology education
Throughout the world, many universities are actively carrying out disciplinary education, research and talent training at the intersection of law and information technology. Although the naming and launch of the disciplines differ sooner or later, they basically revolve around law and information technology. The cross-integration of modern information technologies such as big data, cloud computing , and artificial intelligence is unfolding.
As an emerging discipline still under construction, legal science and technology education mainly has the following practical methods:
1. Establish relevant courses to cultivate multi-disciplinary talents
Domestic universities such as Southwest University of Political Science and Law, Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, Hebei University of Economics and Business , etc. have directly established artificial intelligence law majors, and Tsinghua University, Shandong University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, etc. have started computing. Master's degree programs in law, and many universities also offer specialized courses in legal technology.
Foreign universities such as Stanford University, Singapore Management University, and the University of Edinburgh have set up legal technology-related master's and bachelor's degrees. In addition to teaching basic knowledge education in the legal technology industry, there are also computer science, statistics, machine learning, etc. Technology teaching.
Through the interdisciplinary and interdisciplinary curriculum and the multi-disciplinary legal science and technology master's program, we cultivate a group of compound talents who are not only proficient in legal knowledge, but also deeply integrated into the complex social and economic system, and stand out in the wave of scientific and technological changes.
2. Combining theory with practice and cooperating with technology companies
In addition to professional teaching, universities also work closely with technology companies. On the one hand, it introduces a large number of practical courses into teaching to cultivate students' professional skills. On the other hand, it cooperates with technology companies and relies on universities to carry out legal technology innovation projects.
For example, Cornell University’s LL.M. program is practice-oriented and encourages students to build technology products and businesses; Duke University’s Legal Technology Laboratory cooperates with technology companies to incubate legal technology innovation projects.
3. Establish research institutions to promote industry-university-research collaboration
Many universities around the world have established their own legal technology research organizations, such as the domestic Tsinghua University Intelligent Rule of Law Research Institute, Peking University Legal Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, and Renmin University of China Smart Law Science and Technology Innovation Research Center, China University of Political Science and Law Big Data and Artificial Intelligence Legal Research Center, Southwest University of Political Science and Law Artificial Intelligence Law Research Institute , Stanford University CodeX abroad Legal Information Research Center, Duke University Legal Technology Laboratory (DLTL), Legal Technology Research Center of Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany, Technology, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence and Law Center of National University of Singapore Law School, etc.
Most of these legal science and technology research organizations are established by universities taking advantage of their own legal disciplines or computer and artificial intelligence disciplines to provide communication platforms for interdisciplinary research. At the same time, research organizations also cooperate with third-party companies to provide a wide range of application platforms for the practical application of legal technology, which is conducive to promoting collaborative innovation among industry, academia and research.
In addition, global legal technology activities have gradually emerged in recent years, such as the Global Legal Technology Hackathon (GlobalLegal Hackathon), which has been held for four times. Legal technology companies, law firms, and law school teams from all over the world jointly carried out a The storm of innovative application of legal technology has driven the global legal industry to explore future possibilities.
In short, with the development of legal technology, its role in the legal service process will become more and more prominent, and accordingly, the demand for legal technology talents will become greater. Legal science and technology education is an emerging discipline that is still under construction. During the development process, it is necessary to maintain openness to other subject knowledge in curriculum design and focus on breaking down the barriers between universities and legal practice departments. The development of legal technology has a long way to go.
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