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US law schools are taking sharply different approaches to artificial intelligence as they try to balance traditional legal education with technology that is rapidly changing the profession.
Some students returning to campus this fall found laptops and phones banned from classrooms, while others must use AI in selected courses. At least a dozen US law schools introduced new or revised AI policies over the summer, covering how students can use the technology and, in some cases, requiring AI-related courses.
The University of Georgia introduced an ‘analog classroom’ policy in August, with a default ban on devices during class. Students also need to take at least one AI-related technology course.
Law dean Usha Rodrigues said the policy partly followed instances of students consulting AI during traditional cold-calling exercises. She said the Socratic method focuses on thinking on the spot, listening to colleagues and evaluating their answers critically.
The University of Chicago Law School in July became the first to prohibit laptops and phones in required first-year classes. The school said the policy aims to ensure students learn to think critically, strategically, and independently before using AI tools later.
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The University of California, Berkeley School of Law introduced a restrictive AI policy in May. Students cannot use AI to brainstorm paper topics, summarise legal rules for papers, correct grammatical mistakes or identify repetitive passages.
The school also offers several AI courses. Its student-run AI at Berkeley Law club told Reuters that the default rules could conflict with the school's technology focus. The group said legal education should teach students the difference between outsourcing legal reasoning and using AI within a legal workflow.
Professor Colleen Chien, a member of Berkeley Law’s AI Leadership Committee, said faculty can depart from the default policy when it supports their teaching and learning goals.
Columbia Law School’s August policy permits AI for testing arguments, seeking criticism, exploring alternative wording, and correcting spelling and grammar. However, written work must remain student-generated and reflect the student’s own intellectual creativity and judgment.
The University of Michigan allows AI for brainstorming and researching papers but prohibits students from using it to draft, edit, or revise their work.
The debate comes as law firms increasingly incorporate AI into legal practice. University of Texas law dean Bobby Chesney said employers now expect graduates to possess basic AI familiarity.
For law schools, the challenge extends beyond technology. Lawyers face professional and ethical competency obligations, along with confidentiality requirements that affect how AI can be used.
