AI Certificate Program

The next generation of lawyers will practice co-intelligence—a dynamic partnership between human judgment and artificial intelligence in which their combined output exceeds what either could achieve alone. Taught by the Director of the BU Law AI Program, this seminar will teach you to work with generative AI as an active collaborator that can deepen your creativity, sharpen your reasoning, and expand your judgment on complex legal problems. Throughout the term, you will develop disciplined and reproducible methods for AI-enhanced legal work: decomposing novel problems into analyzable components, stress-testing arguments, running counterfactual and scenario analyses, and using AI to expose gaps or weaknesses that traditional workflows might overlook. You’ll gain a working understanding of large language models—their mechanisms, pattern-recognition strengths, and characteristic failure modes of hallucination, bias, and overconfidence—so you can exercise professional judgment about when AI output deserves acceptance, refinement, or rejection. Between class sessions, you’ll experiment with AI across legal use cases that demand creative and strategic thinking, then bring those explorations back to the seminar for collaborative critique. Together, students will compare approaches, analyze results, and co-build a shared playbook for high-level, AI-augmented lawyering. The course culminates in a “Before and After AI” capstone paper applying the cognitive partnership model to a hypothetical problem in litigation, regulatory advocacy, or transactional practice. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: Students may partially satisfy the requirement with a 3,000-word research paper. ** A student who fails to attend the initial meeting of a seminar or to obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar, may be administratively dropped from the seminar. Students who are on a wait list for a seminar are required to attend the first seminar meeting to be considered for enrollment.

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FALL 2026: LAW JD 917 A1, Aug 31st to Dec 3rd 2026

In this class students will be exposed to how legal research functions in practice. The research projects will be designed to highlight major legal research tools in both online and print formats. The projects will feature tasks such locating court documents, doing a legislative history, finding agency regulations and guidance, doing state specific research with practice series, researching an unfamiliar area of the law using secondary sources, as well as learning to use Lexis/Nexis, Westlaw and Bloomberg Law in a cost effective manner. Most classes will have an assignment and some will be longer projects such as a client letter, a research memo for a supervisor and all will include a research log. There will be an exam where the students must do several short research assignments with a research log. The objective of the class is for students to become comfortable completing simple and complex research in a work setting. NOTE: This class counts toward the 6 credit Experiential Learning requirement. ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENT: A student who fails to attend the first class or to obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar, will be administratively dropped from the class. Students who are on the wait list are required to attend the first meeting to be considered for enrollment.

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FALL 2026: LAW JD 879 A1, Aug 31st to Dec 3rd 2026

This course builds upon the foundations laid in civil procedure and ethics courses to introduce students to the effective, responsible use of generative artificial intelligence ("AI") in litigation. Students will learn how to evaluate and select AI tools for legal practice while identifying and navigating potential ethical traps—including client confidentiality, AI "hallucinations," and the duty of proper supervision. Through hands-on exercises, students will practice using AI to facilitate common litigation workflows, such as case evaluation, legal research, drafting, document review, discovery, deposition preparation, trial preparation, and appeals. While the course will primarily utilize dedicated legal AI platforms (e.g., Lexis+ AI, Thomson Reuters CoCounsel, and Harvey), the techniques learned will transfer to other AI tools, including general-purpose models like Google's Gemini, OpenAI's ChatGPT, and Anthropic's Claude. There will be a mid-semester exam in addition to assignments and a presentation. ENROLLMENT LIMIT: This course requires extensive, hands-on practical work and enrollment is limited to 25 students.

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FALL 2026: LAW JD 821 A1, Aug 31st to Dec 3rd 2026
SPRG 2027: LAW JD 821 B1, Jan 11th to Apr 21st 2027

This course will explore how artificial intelligence is transforming corporate compliance programs. Students will develop practical strategies for integrating AI into compliance frameworks. The course will emphasize real-world case studies, regulatory guidance, and hands on exercises. There will be no final exam. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: This class does not satisfy the requirement.

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For an industry that has kept fax machines alive for decades, the healthcare industry is currently deploying Artificial Intelligence (AI) faster than many other industries. This course will explore the real-time transformative impact of AI on the healthcare industry. Taking a holistic approach, we will examine how AI is disrupting long established practices in healthcare, and what attorneys need to consider as they advise clients across the healthcare continuum, including hospitals, insurers, and health-tech companies. The course will:(1)Provide an introductory overview of significant AI concepts including machine learning, generative AI, and agentic AI.(2)Track the tension between state and federal AI regulations; especially as they overlay on the established healthcare regulatory framework.(3)Analyze the evolution of specific healthcare topics e.g., scope of practice, privacy, and Software as a Medical Device in the context of rapidly advancing AI technology.(4)Discuss ethical and policy implications of the new technology and how it can improve or exacerbate current health disparities, including patient outcomes and patient safety.(5)Examine topics that often come up in practice including governance and contracting issues such as liability, data use, and intellectual property rights.Participants will be evaluated on class participation and assignments. There will be a final exam. PRE/COREQUISITES: Participants should have some familiarity with healthcare law, through a previous course, a concurrent course, or work experience. RESTRICTION: Students may not enroll in this course and AI in the Professions (JD795).

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SPRG 2027: LAW JD 747 A1, Jan 11th to Apr 21st 2027

This course prepares students for the ever-changing legal workplace by focusing on a key foundational skill for effective AI utilization: the prompt. Learning how to prompt can help create a highly capable "second lawyer" sitting in the office, provided that students can master the dialogue required (the prompt) to keep their digital associate focused on the task at hand and steer clear of hallucinations. Ultimately, the goal is to ensure that the AI’s output serves to sharpen a student’s own analytical judgment and make them more efficient as they provide advice to their clients in their first jobs after graduation. Throughout the course, students will learn the technical underpinnings of how generative AI can—and cannot—assist lawyers. They will master the construction of multi-layered, iterative prompts that leverage an LLM’s strengths while accounting for its limitations in legal analysis. There will be an in-person final exam in addition to the prompt assignments.

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FALL 2026: LAW JD 702 A1, Aug 31st to Dec 3rd 2026
SPRG 2027: LAW JD 702 B1, Jan 11th to Apr 21st 2027

This seminar will focus on improving students' persuasive writing skills through a series of assignments and in-class exercises. Students will draft a variety of trial-level documents designed to persuade, including a demand letter, a statement of the facts, a memorandum in support of a motion for summary judgment, and a reply memo. Legal research will be necessary for these assignments, but the emphasis will be on analysis and writing. Students will complete multiple drafts of these documents, meet individually with the instructors to discuss the drafts, and engage in peer editing of their classmates' papers to improve their own writing skills. The class will also include discussions of persuasive writing strategies, comparisons of examples of good and bad persuasive writing, and in-class writing exercises. Students will be graded on the basis of their written work and their peer editing work. Students will engage in oral presentation and advocacy in this course. There will be no final exam. ENROLLMENT LIMIT: 14 students. GRADING NOTICE: This class does not offer the CR/NC/H option. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: This Dedicated Writing Class may be used to satisfy the requirement. RESTRICTION: Students may not enroll in both Persuasive Writing: Trial Level and Legal Writing for Civil Litigation (JD 712). ** A student who fails to attend the initial meeting of a seminar (designated by an (S) in the title), or to obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar, may be administratively dropped from the seminar. Students who are on a wait list for a seminar are required to attend the first seminar meeting to be considered for enrollment.

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SPRG 2027: LAW JD 713 A1, Jan 11th to Apr 21st 2027

This is a practical, hands-on course designed to prepare 2L and 3L law students for the rapidly evolving landscape of AI-enhanced legal practice. This course bridges the gap between traditional legal education and the technological competencies required in modern law firms, corporate legal departments, and solo practices. Students will gain foundational footing on how AI is reshaping the labor market, and most importantly, the practice of law. You will explore legal practice within the growing number of “AI-Native” law firms that are disrupting the legal status quo. You will study and, where applicable, access and use leading-edge AI tools that are transforming core legal functions including legal research, e-discovery, contract analysis, brief writing, and client advisory services. Beyond substantive legal work, the course explores how AI is revolutionizing the business of law—from client development and marketing to talent recruitment and development. Through a combination of demonstrations, practical exercises, case studies, and guest speakers from leading law firms and legal tech companies, students will develop both technical skills and strategic judgment about when and how to deploy AI tools effectively and ethically. The course emphasizes practical application: students will use AI tools to complete realistic legal tasks, critically evaluate AI outputs for accuracy and bias, and understand the ethical obligations surrounding AI use in legal practice. By the end of this course, students will be equipped to leverage AI in their legal careers while maintaining the professional judgment, ethical standards, and client-centered approach that define excellent lawyering. The course will culminate in a capstone group project that involves students taking the persona of Head of AI of a legal institution of their choosing – law firm, in-house dept, law school, etc. – and developing a PowerPoint presentation (10 slides or less) of a workplace AI Strategy Plan. PREREQUISITES: None. No prior technical experience required.

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SPRG 2027: LAW JD 818 A1, Jan 11th to Apr 21st 2027

Most students will end up practicing transactional law which presents unique legal research challenges. Students will learn to navigate the statutory and regulatory frameworks of transactional areas of the law like tax, banking, securities and other practice areas. They will research agency guidance, use specialized practice materials and search for filings and company information, among other research tasks. Legal information and technologies in these area are constantly changing and new lawyers should be familiar with the most recent research techniques and tools. Classes will combine instruction and hands-on exercises using major print, electronic, and web based resources for securities law research. Students will be required to complete several assignments using electronic and print resources and put together a final client presentation on a transaction. NOTES: This course counts toward the 6 credit Experiential Learning requirement.

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SPRG 2027: LAW JD 718 A1, Jan 11th to Apr 21st 2027

This one-credit skills course builds on the research skills developed in the first year Lawyering course, with a focus on post-graduation legal practice and preparation for the Next Gen Bar exam. We will help students build on the research strategies they learned in Lawyering, but also teach them how to start with a set of facts and identify research questions to be addressed, the authoritative weight of relevant sources, and the search terms and strategies that are most efficient and economical in each situation. Central to both practice and NextGen Bar testing is the ability to effectively communicate research findings. This course will not only cover the research process and sources, but also teach students how to clearly communicate their research process and explain the results of their research. We will also include instruction on law practice technology, and on using Generative AI in legal practice. The class will be taught as a skills class, with significant class preparation, in-class hypotheticals, and simulation-type assignments. With an eye towards how research will be assessed on the NextGen Bar, we will also include many issue-spotting and research-process exercises. NOTE: This class counts toward the 6 credit Experiential Learning requirement. ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENT: A student who fails to attend the first class or to obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar, will be administratively dropped from the class. Students who are on the wait list are required to attend the first meeting to be considered for enrollment.

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SPRG 2027: LAW JD 703 A1, Jan 11th to Apr 21st 2027

This course will focus on the healthcare professions and the legal profession primarily, and explore how the rise of artificial intelligence is challenging traditional modes of licensing, regulation, and liability. The course will include state AI laws, state licensure systems, professional rules of conduct, Federal policy including FDA law for software as a medical device (SAMD), and some discussion of comparative approaches such as the European Union. The course will include student use of AI platforms, for benchmarking, research and to develop their own skills. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: Students may use this class to satisfy the requirement with a 6,000-word research paper. ** A student who fails to attend the initial meeting of a seminar, or to obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar, may be administratively dropped from the seminar. Students who are on a wait list for a seminar are required to attend the first seminar meeting to be considered for enrollment.

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SPRG 2027: LAW JD 795 A1, Jan 11th to Apr 21st 2027

This course will explore the implications of advances in artificial intelligence for the law and policy of U.S. national security. Students will first learn to understand and classify AI systems. The class will then consider the lawfulness and prudence of current and potential future uses of AI in intelligence, law enforcement, and armed conflict. The course will also explore AI’s potential effects in the online information space, cybersecurity, and terrorism, before considering possible government responses and the applicable legal principles. The class will also situate AI within the broader geopolitical context, including great-power competition with China. Student assessments will include written assignments, a class presentation, and a final exam.

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SPRG 2027: LAW JD 959 A1, Jan 11th to Apr 21st 2027

This one credit seminar explores the rapidly evolving role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the practice of law. Featuring guest speakers from a wide range of practice settings—including large law firms, boutique firms, corporate legal departments, government agencies, legal services, and the judiciary—the course examines how AI tools are transforming legal research, drafting, discovery, compliance, litigation strategy, client counseling, and law practice management. Through practitioner-led discussions students will evaluate the practical uses of AI technologies. The seminar emphasizes real-world applications, ethical considerations, and professional responsibility implications under the ABA Model Rules. Students will critically assess the benefits and efficiencies AI can bring to legal practice and the significant challenges it presents, including ethical pitfalls, overreliance, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and systemic bias. The seminar is discussion-based. Students will have weekly readings, submit short papers that include questions for the week’s speaker(s), and will give a final presentation on an AI related topic. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: This class may not be used to satisfy the requirement. **A student who fails to attend the initial meeting of a seminar, or to obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar, may be administratively dropped from the seminar. Students who are on a wait list for a seminar are required to attend the first seminar meeting to be considered for enrollment.

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SPRG 2027: LAW JD 808 A1, Jan 11th to Apr 21st 2027

Artificial intelligence is reshaping society, legal institutions, and the practice of law. This course examines the emerging law, regulation, and policy of AI while preparing students to work effectively with the technologies that are already transforming legal practice. Students will study how existing legal doctrines apply to AI systems and how those doctrines may evolve as AI increasingly influences decision-making in business, government, medicine, consumer markets, and everyday life. Topics include liability, privacy, intellectual property, consumer protection, fairness, bias and discrimination, explainability, and AI governance. The course is also a practical introduction to AI-assisted lawyering. Students will develop a working understanding of the concepts and terminology needed to engage confidently with contemporary AI systems and large language models; no technical background is required. Through concrete legal use cases, students will explore how legal AI tools and LLMs can enhance analysis, problem-solving, and professional judgment, while also confronting their limitations and risks, including hallucinations, bias, opacity, overreliance, and professional responsibility concerns. Use of generative AI is integral to the course. The course is grounded in the view that the next generation of lawyers will practice co-intelligence: a disciplined partnership between human judgment and artificial intelligence in which the combined output exceeds what either could achieve alone.

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SPRG 2027: LAW JD 794 A1, Jan 11th to Apr 21st 2027

The expanded use of technology in all aspects of our lives provides tremendous opportunities and creates constantly evolving risks – and has resulted in a patchwork of legal responses. This course will explore the rapidly changing landscape of cyber law, focusing on the legal framework, policy issues, and practical application of these laws. Specifically, the course will cover cyber crime, including cyber-enabled fraud schemes, computer “hacking,” and nation-state cyber activity. The course will also cover cyber security and privacy issues, and the impact of technology on data collection and electronic evidence gathering. We will analyze the framework of both constitutional law and relevant domestic statutes related to data collection, and the intersection of domestic and global concepts of data privacy. Students will explore the strategies used to respond to these challenges by individuals, businesses, governments, and regulatory agencies.

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FALL 2026: LAW JD 964 A1, Aug 31st to Dec 3rd 2026

This readings seminar will focus on emerging issues of civil liberties in our digital society, with special attention paid to privacy and freedom of speech in the age of social media, platforms, and artificial intelligence. We will explore the potential and dangers of the Internet revolution in communications, and how it is affected by the activities of users, by companies like Google, Facebook, and Twitter, and by government attempts to restrain or shape the evolution of online activity through law. The course will be structured around discussions of principal readings of relatively recent (and readable) books and articles, including the possibility of videoconferencing or in-person lectures with some of the authors to discuss their work. There will be three student papers required - two short papers due during the semester providing a critical review of one of the readings chosen by the student, and a slightly longer paper due at the end of exams comparing and critiquing two of the principal readings. In addition to gaining a deeper understanding of the topics of the books, we will work on developing essential skills for lawyers of close reading and clear and persuasive writing. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: A limited number of students may use this class to satisfy the requirement. **A student who fails to attend the initial meeting of a seminar. or to obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar, may be administratively dropped from the seminar. Students who are on a wait list for a seminar are required to attend the first seminar meeting to be considered for enrollment.

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SPRG 2027: LAW JD 779 A1, Jan 11th to Apr 21st 2027

The collection, use, storage, and sharing of personal data has become increasingly important throughout society, from commerce to government and from health care to finance. For good reason, we call this the Information Age. Recall the countless high- profile privacy and data security controversies you have heard about in the last year: location tracking; inaccurate credit reports causing lost jobs; data breaches, hacking and identity theft; and government surveillance. Law has responded with a dizzying array of new rules -- and a rapidly growing area of professional specialization for attorneys. This course serves as an introduction to the emerging law of data privacy. By the end, you will be well grounded in many challenges facing any enterprise, public or private, that collects, processes, uses, and stores personal information. In addition to knowledge of constitutional, statutory, and common law rules as well as federal and state enforcement activity, we will learn about the policy questions that arise in this dynamic area, the legally relevant questions to ask when assessing information practices, and some of the many nonlegal models of information governance. You will gain a basic understanding of data privacy regulation in other countries, particularly the European Union. All students will benefit from more sophisticated knowledge about an issue that appears in the news every single day. But there are significant professional payoffs too. Major law firms have organized entire practice areas devoted to privacy and data protection law. In the last seven years the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), a key trade association in this space, more than tripled in size to 12,000 members. These trends mean that law school graduates will have increasing job opportunities in data privacy and security law. Meanwhile, in many other practice areas -- such as securities, labor and employment, health, advertising, and the list goes on -- familiarity with privacy and security law has become a major asset. Plus, the issues are fascinating and fun. If nothing else, you can have great conversations at parties.

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FALL 2026: LAW JD 956 A1, Aug 31st to Dec 3rd 2026

This skills seminar focuses on the intersection of law and technology, with an emphasis on AI and Intellectual Property law. Students take on the persona of law firm associates and work through actual cases and scenarios involving AI technologies. It is well suited for non-specialists seeking to improve (a) their substantive knowledge of IP law as applied to today’s cutting-edge technologies like Generative AI and (b) their practical legal skills including communication, written & oral advocacy, deal-making & negotiations, and the role of AI in the law. Students will examine actual pending IP AI cases (like Author’s Guild v OpenAI and Raine v OAI) and conduct simulated exercises – taking on the role of plaintiff, defendant, law clerk, and judge – in advocating their clients’ cases. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: A limited number of students may partially satisfy the requirement with a 3,000-word paper with approval of the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs.

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FALL 2026: LAW JD 724 A1, Aug 31st to Dec 3rd 2026

This cross-cutting and interdisciplinary course, taught alongside a graduate-level course with BU's new faculty of Computing and Data Sciences, investigates the role that algorithms and automated decision-making systems play in law and society. The course connects legal and technical concepts of transparency, fairness, bias, privacy, and trust, though a series of case studies that present recent applications of technology to legal and regulatory situations and explore the challenges in regulating algorithms. Legal concepts explored will include evidence and expert witnesses, anti-discrimination law concepts of disparate impact and disparate treatment, sectoral information privacy regimes, and public access and transparency laws. Technical concepts explored will include artificial intelligence and machine learning, secure multi-party computation, differential privacy, and zero-knowledge proofs. Grades will be based on a series of assignments that correspond with each case study, to be completed collaboratively in mixed teams of law and computing/data science students. No prior technology experience is required. GRADING NOTICE: This class will not offer the CR/NC/H option.

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FALL 2026: LAW JD 673 A1, Aug 31st to Dec 3rd 2026

AI has come to the practice of law, raising many issues and implications that are essential to understand. This two-credit elective examines what AI is and how it works, and how emerging AI technologies intersect with civil, criminal, administrative, and constitutional law. The course will explore topics such as liability for autonomous systems; algorithmic decision making in government and private markets; proof, causation, and evidence; personhood; bias and profiling; authorship and IP; morality and professional responsibility; and ultimately how AI is and should be regulated through litigation, legislation, and agency action. While we discuss how AI works, algorithms, and related matters, no technical background is required. There will be a final exam.

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FALL 2026: LAW JD 792 A1, Aug 31st to Dec 3rd 2026