Why Arizona State Law School Applicants May Use Generative AI

At the American Bar Association’s annual meeting this month, attorneys and judges listened to yet another panel on how artificial intelligence is changing the practice of law. When the moderator asked the audience if they had used AI in some fashion, nearly every hand went up.

As AI advances, lawyers want to know how to ensure client confidentiality and data security while adhering to the rules and standards of ethics and professional responsibility. Lawyers are eager to experiment with these new tools that will revolutionize legal practice. Law students are even more inclined to experiment and become early and proficient technology adopters.

The Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University is the first law school to explicitly allow prospective students to prepare their applications using AI tools. Both innovative and sensible, this decision is grounded in our core priorities of embracing innovation and removing barriers to higher education.

We are a public university measured not by whom we exclude but by whom we include and how they succeed. Almost 35% of ASU students are first-generation college students.

Accessibility to quality higher education is a large part of our mission as we educate the next generation of lawyers and leaders. Allowing applicants to use generative AI tools in the next admission cycle for our J.D. program—which goes live Aug. 10—levels the playing field.

Many prospective law students hire third-party consultants to provide one-on-one coaching, including helping them with preliminary drafting, editing, and refining application materials. Generative AI offers additional tools as law school application aides. As part of our admissions rollout, we will include information to educate prospective students on AI’s benefits–and its potential pitfalls.

In past admissions cycles, we asked applicants to disclose if they used third-party consultants before submitting their materials. We now will ask for similar disclosure for use of AI.

As always, each applicant must verify their application is true, accurate, and complete; submitting false information would be a breach of academic integrity. Having applicants certify their use of consultants or AI is solely for data collection purposes and won’t impact the ultimate admissions decision.

The capacity and quality of AI has soared over this past year. Large language models such as ChatGPT and Google Bard are being used across industries, in law firms, and in the classrooms of innovative law schools like ASU. We will ensure our graduates have the advanced technological skills to succeed in an ever-changing legal market.

ASU Law’s Center for Law, Science and Innovation, led by regents professor and faculty director Gary Marchant, has been a leader in law and technology for over 30 years and at the forefront of AI policy and governance. Current ASU Law students can earn a law, science and technology certificate and take cutting-edge courses, including ones on AI’s legal, policy and ethical implications.

Many professors are incorporating AI in subject matters across the curriculum. Professors Susan Chesler and Kimberly Holst are leading our efforts to partner with AI companies such as Spellbook to test technologies as part of the first-year legal methods and writing experience.

While each individual instructor will determine the academic use of emerging technologies, many of our faculty will encourage and instruct students on using large language models in their coursework. Law students will learn how to use and how not to use these powerful tools as we prepare future lawyers, judges, and industry leaders for the realities of a rapidly evolving technological landscape.

AI will continue to affect our lives and the law in ways currently unimaginable. We’re excited to equip our current and prospective students with knowledge and more efficient processes that can address pressing and systemic issues, including gaps in access to justice. The market will value new attorneys who are simultaneously responsible with—and unafraid of—emerging technologies.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg Industry Group, Inc., the publisher of Bloomberg Law and Bloomberg Tax, or its owners.

Author Information

Stacy Leeds is dean and regents professor of law at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. She was previously vice chancellor for economic development at University of Arkansas and dean of University of Arkansas School of Law.

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