As artificial intelligence continues to reshape the legal profession, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas William S. Boyd School of Law is making AI literacy a required part of legal education. Beginning in Fall 2026, all first-year law students will take a new course, “Introduction to the Responsible Use of AI,” designed to teach future attorneys how to effectively and ethically use AI tools while understanding the limits of the technology and the continuing importance of human judgment.
Throughout the semester, students will explore how AI can enhance legal work, improve efficiency and support innovation and will learn at which stages human judgment remains essential.
Co-taught by Professors Nancy Rapoport and Joe Regalia, the course will focus heavily on the concept of keeping the “human in the loop,” teaching students how to critically evaluate AI-generated content rather than relying on it as a substitute for legal analysis.
“Lawyers still need to think critically, exercise judgment, and protect their clients’ interests,” Regalia said. “This course helps students understand how AI can augment their work, not replace the skills that make great lawyers.”
Students will gain foundational knowledge in several key areas, including ethical considerations surrounding AI use in legal practice, the strengths and weaknesses of various AI platforms, prompt engineering and effective AI workflows, AI bias and predictive reasoning challenges, process improvement and innovation thinking and practical legal applications of AI tools.
What makes this course different is that it will also teach students the skills that they need to use AI as a study tool, as a drafting tool and in the context of learning a bit more about Contracts, Civil Procedure and Torts.
“Artificial intelligence is already changing how legal work gets done,” Rapoport said. “Our goal is to ensure that students understand both the opportunities and the risks of these tools so that they can use them responsibly and effectively.”
