Law

Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Law

Module code: M2604
Level 5
15 credits in autumn semester
Teaching method: Seminar, Workshop
Assessment modes: Portfolio, Coursework

The legal sector is undergoing a structural shift as AI moves from pilot tools to integration in platforms across courts, law firms and legal advice providers. Online courts and legal services are reframing justice around user needs and digital channels, creating new opportunities for lawyers and non-lawyers with skills in design, project implementation and governance - not just black-letter legal analysis.

This module is suitable for both law and non-law students, and you won't need any prior understanding of law or AI.

On this module you'll:

  • design credible, user-centred workflows that lower the barriers to justice services
  • evaluate AI use-cases against ethics, bias, confidentiality and accountability
  • communicate evidence-based recommendations to courts, firms and legal advice centres.

You'll blend theory with hands-on labs (practising prompt engineering and prototyping). You'll see product demos from industry partners and consider live case studies. You'll look at emerging legal-tech solutions, and the range of new careers in the legal sector.

Module learning outcomes

  • Application and Opportunity: Explain and critically evaluate how contemporary AI systems are applied across key legal tasks (review, prediction, drafting, decision-support), identifying credible opportunity areas for value creation and improved access to justice.
  • Risk, Regulation and Responsibility: Analyse and apply ethical, legal, and governance frameworks to assess risks and safeguards (bias, confidentiality, accountability), reflecting on how AI reshapes professional responsibility and the standards of legal practice
  • Innovation, Prototyping and Communication: Design and test a responsible AI-enabled legal workflow using prompt engineering and rapid prototyping, and communicate persuasive, evidence-based recommendations on AI’s impact on legal processes, organisations, and future legal careers.