Technology Initiative — Associate Dean of Technology and the Law April G. Dawson

Technology Initiative

BY APRIL G. DAWSON Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Pedagogical Enrichment

As technology continues to disrupt, influence, and impact the way lawyers practice law and the areas of legal practice, law schools need to more rapidly adjust law school curricula to ensure law students receive the necessary legal tech training. If there had been hesitancy on the part of law schools to offer legal tech courses, the push of technology upon both the legal industry and the legal academy by the global pandemic has made it abundantly clear that law schools must provide legal tech instruction for their students to adequately prepare them for the practice of law.

Indeed, if you take even a cursory glance at law schools’ websites, you will see a plethora of law tech courses of one kind or another included in the school’s curriculum. While some law schools have fully developed law tech centers, institutes, and certificate programs, others are in the early stages of planning and development. Currently, there are approximately 30 established law school legal technology centers, and the historic North Carolina Central School of Law is about to join the ranks.

One of Dean Lewis’ missions when she took the helm at NCCU Law, was the Center for Technology Law and Policy. To ensure this vital Center would be financially supported and viable, she facilitated the $5 million Intel donation to fund the creation of the Center for Technology Law and Policy.

The Center and the development of legal tech curricula at NCCU Law are essential as the on-the-ground realities of the legal profession require lawyers to be more tech-savvy. Factors necessitating increased technical knowledge and instruction include, inter alia:

·Ethical tech competency requirements for lawyers ·Client demand for more efficient and cost-effective lawyer work ·Digitalization of legal services · Emerging tech-related issues in traditional legal fields ·New and emerging technology requiring legal advice and expertise · Use of technology by the courts and government agencies To address the changing legal landscape, the Center for Technology Law and Policy will develop a program designed to:

·Prepare students to provide legal advice and expertise relevant to new and emerging technology ·Prepare students to use technology to facilitate the efficient, effective, and ethical practice of law ·Equip students with the skills to facilitate the development of technology to improve the legal system; and · Increase community access to legal information and services

The Center will also support interdisciplinary scholarship and discussions related to technology law, data security, business law, and regulation policy. Policy discussions and engagement will focus on, inter alia, technical racial disparities such as implicit bias and the racial justice implications of using data and predictive analytics in daily life and the criminal justice system.

It bears emphasizing that the Center for Technology Law and Policy will operate within NCCU Law, which was founded to provide opportunities for African Americans to become lawyers. It is the mission of NCCU Law to provide high quality, personalized, practice-oriented, and affordable legal education to historically underrepresented students from diverse backgrounds to help diversify the legal profession and to empower graduates to become highly competent and socially responsible lawyers and leaders committed to public service and to meeting the needs of underserved communities. Thus, it is the mission of the Center to produce technology-conscious lawyers who will use technology in alignment with the Law School’s mission to: (1) facilitate the efficient, effective, and ethical practice of law, and (2) increase the access of legal information and services for underserved communities.

It is also the Center’s mission to produce diverse technology law experts to serve the changing needs of those seeking legal advice and representation. Finally, it is the mission of the Center to engage in meaningful technologyrelated policy discussions to ensure that technology law, regulations, and implementation do not result in the further marginalization of the African American community, but rather are used to create a more just society.