The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law has launched the Delta Institute for AI and the Law, an initiative focused on AI literacy, access to technology and the use of artificial intelligence in the legal system.
The Delta Institute for AI and the Law, or DIAL, will use research, policy guidance and practical education to explore effective and equitable uses of AI for courts, legal professionals and litigants. The institute also aims to prepare law students to use AI responsibly as they enter legal practice.
DIAL will focus on the applied legal research that will have a high societal impact, which benefits public regulatory environments and the judicial system itself.
Debra Ireland, interim director for DIAL, said the Institute is different than most legal entities that focus on AI and the law because of its community focus.
“DIAL’s commitment to integrating AI into legal practice goes beyond ensuring law students are simply proficient and extends to lawyers already in practice who may not have the resources to become adept on their own while balancing their current caseloads,” Ireland said.
The launch of the Institute comes at a pivotal time in legal education, as well as in the legal industry at large, as it pertains to artificial intelligence.
“With courts, government agencies, law firms, corporations and policymakers increasingly requiring practical guidance and applied research addressing new AI applications in the legal field, DIAL and The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law are uniquely positioned to become a nationally recognized hub for research and innovation,” said Jim Strickland, dean of Memphis Law.
The Institute is already hard at work developing several projects, including an AI lab where law students fluent in AI can show practicing attorneys how to make the best use of available AI tools to better serve their clients and launching an AI and Internet Law Legal Certificate Program.
