Introduction

The Tech Institute launched the Georgetown AI and the Law (GAIL) Initiative to create a resource and connection hub for Georgetown and beyond as we explore the rapidly growing impact of AI on legal practice and the fields of law and public policy. GAIL research, convenings, and events will consider how to prepare students to enter a profession being shaped in real time by the expanded use of AI, as well as related questions of professional responsibility; the future of work, job displacement, and job creation; access to justice; court modernization; and more.

GAIL does not start with a foundational assumption that AI is either all good or all bad for the profession. Rather, GAIL aims to collect information and prompt discussions that include each of these extremes and everything in between, grounded in the practical reality of what is taking place in law schools, law firms, corporate in-house legal groups, government, and non-profits and civil society. Every place that lawyers train and work is a forum for questioning and understanding the impact of AI.

Similarly, we look to the 20 full-time law faculty members affiliated with the Tech Institute, to other full-time and adjunct faculty at Georgetown Law, to the centers and institutes at Georgetown Law, and to the contributing centers, programs, and departments of the Georgetown University Tech & Society Initiative as key sources for building GAIL’s work and reach.

Georgetown Law has a leading tech law and policy program and is the largest producer of new lawyers in the U.S. each year. As tools like legal research automation, contract analysis, and predictive modeling become standard in many areas of law, legal employers and their clients will expect new graduates to possess both technical fluency and a clear understanding of ethical and strategic implications. At the same time, many students — particularly those in the Tech Law Scholars program or on the Georgetown Law Technology Review — are seeking internships and jobs in the private sector, non-profits, or government that directly involve AI law and policy. Separate from the work of the faculty and administration on curriculum and school policies, GAIL will examine the hiring process, skills development, associate training, and industry trends to consider, from the first day of 1L year to graduation, how students can best prepare to enter this fast-changing environment.

We invite interested members of the Georgetown community and the legal profession to sign up for the GAIL mailing list(This link opens in a new tab) to receive updates about developments and events.