Vanderbilt Law School recently launched an exciting new initiative called the Vanderbilt AI Legal Lab (VAILL) to explore how artificial intelligence can transform legal services and access to justice. In this episode, we spoke with VAILL's leadership – Cat Moon,(👑) Director of Innovation at Vanderbilt's Program on Law and Innovation (PoLI), and Mark Williams, Associate Director for Collections and Innovation at the Massey Law Library – about their vision for this pioneering lab.
VAILL's mission is to harness AI to expand access to legal knowledge and services, with a particular focus on leveraging generative AI to improve legal service delivery. As Moon described, VAILL aims to experiment, collaborate widely, and build solutions to realize AI's potential in the legal domain. The lab will leverage Vanderbilt's cross-disciplinary strengths, drawing on experts in computer science, engineering, philosophy, and other fields to inform their ethically-grounded, human-centered approach.
VAILL is prioritizing partnerships across sectors – courts, law firms, legal aid organizations, alternative providers, and others – to test ideas and develop prototype AI applications that solve real legal needs. For instance, they plan to co-create solutions with Legal Aid of North Carolina's Innovation Lab to expand access to justice. Moon explained that generative AI presents solutions for some legal challenges, so VAILL hopes to match developing technological capabilities with organizations' needs.
Ethics are foundational to VAILL's work. Students will learn both practical uses of AI in law practice as well as broader policy and social implications. As Williams emphasized, beyond core professional responsibility issues, VAILL aims to empower students to lead in shaping AI's societal impacts through deeper engagement with questions around data, access, and algorithms. Teaching ethical, creative mindsets is VAILL's ultimate opportunity.
VAILL will leverage the resources and expertise of Vanderbilt's law librarians to critically assess new AI tools from their unique perspective. Williams noted that the lab sees law students as a "risk free" testing ground for innovations, while also equipping them with adaptable learning capabilities to keep pace with AI's rapid evolution. Rather than viewing AI as a differentiator, VAILL's goal is producing legally-skilled innovators ready to thrive amidst ongoing change.
Vanderbilt's AI Legal Lab represents an exciting development in exploring AI's legal impacts. By emphasizing human-centered, ethical approaches and collaborations, VAILL aims to pioneer solutions that expand access to legal knowledge and services for all. We look forward to seeing the innovative applications VAILL develops at the intersection of law and AI.
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Transcripts
Catching Up on AI Agents, and Agentic Processes
Love and Legal Tech: Alexis Hayman and Jeff Niemczura
Artificial Lawyer's Richard Tromans: Back to Work!
2024 Trends Report: Dynamics Shaping the Future of Legal w/CounselLink's Kris Satkunas
Jorn Vanysacker & Jeroen Thierens from Henchman: We Are Building the "Chief of Staff" For Each Legal Professional
Vlex Pushes Legal Tech Boundaries with New Features and Top Talent
Bloomberg Law Acquires Dashboard Legal to Enhance Legal Workflow Solutions - Joe Breda and Mat Rotenberg
Exploring the Intersection of Generative AI and Cybersecurity at ILTA EVOLVE - Ken Jones and Josh Smith
Love and Legal Tech: Karen Dunn Skinner and David Skinner of Gimbal Consulting
Love and Legal Tech - Kate Boyd and Ryan McClead of Sente Advisors
Kelly Griswold of Onna on the Fundamental Investments Needed in Data Management
Love and Legal Tech - Jillian Bommarito and Michael Bommarito of 273 Ventures
LegalWeek 2024 Special Part Five - Dan Lear from LegalTrack
Love and Legal Tech - Chris Ford and Nikki Shaver of Legal Technology Hub
Pablo Arredondo on the One-Year Anniversary of CoCounsel
Love and Legal Tech: Ab and Priti Saraswat
LegalWeek 2024 Special Part Four: Joshua Lenon from Clio
Love and Legal Tech: Sonja Ebron and Debra Slone of Courtroom5
LegalWeek 2024 Special Part Three: Bill Piwonka of Exterro
Love & Legal Tech: Cassie Vertovec and Alex Macdonald
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