Will Fogleman

Who are you? Tell us about yourself!

I grew up in Fairfax County, VA, but I have moved quite a bit over the years, living at various times in New York, Washington, DC, and Boston. I currently live in Bethesda, MD, with my wife and son.

What drew you to Georgetown’s LL.M. in Technology Law and Policy?

I became interested in technology law because of my son. He is a digital native: He watches influencers on YouTube, plays free-to-play online games on an iPad, and (of course) is the subject of countless digital photos and videos my wife and I share with our family and friends. These technologies have unquestionably added value to his and our family’s lives. But there are dangers in online life, and protecting his digital rights will be an uphill struggle as he grows — particularly as AI makes his data more exploitable and dangerous than ever.

As I grew concerned about my son’s digital future, I asked myself what I could do about it. I realized that as a lawyer, I already have many of the skills necessary to navigate complex systems — including the technological systems permeating my son’s childhood. But in order to be effective, I first need to get up to speed on the state of today’s tech landscape. When I saw that Georgetown offered an entire LLM program in tech law and policy, I jumped at the opportunity. 

You were recently selected as a finalist for the Popper Prize— congratulations! What did you write about and why did this topic interest you?

The Popper Prize is sponsored by the Atoll Society, an innovative organization dedicated to defending reason, liberty and democratic values in an era of rapid technological change. The Prize challenged law students to navigate 21st-century conflicts and contradictions with legal reasoning. My entry sought to demonstrate that our profession’s rich tradition of rigorous legal analysis can be a valuable resource even in a technologically-transformed world.

Tell us about your work experience before joining the LL.M. program. 

Prior to joining the LLM program, I worked for 15 years practicing law. My speciality is in employee benefits and executive compensation law, which is an interesting mix of tax, employment and corporate law.

Which tech class(es) have you most enjoyed so far and why?

I really enjoyed Prof. Paul Ohm’s AI and the Law class. As AI increasingly dominates the headlines, I am both intrigued and concerned about the power of these technologies and their rapid pace of development. Prof. Ohm’s class was a valuable introduction to the technology underlying AI tools, as well as an exploration of the many legal issues these tools can present when they are used in the real world. After taking the class, I have a much better understanding of what these technologies can do and why they matter.