Kimberly Norwood, the Henry H. Oberschelp Professor of Law at WashU Law, recently presented as a panelist at the 2026 American Bar Association Equity Summit. The annual summit brings together legal professionals to examine practical approaches for advancing fairness and expanding opportunity across the legal profession and the justice system.
Professor Norwood joined Joseph K. West, Partner and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, at Duane Morris; Deon Woods Bell, Former Senior Advisor, Global Policy, Digital Public Infrastructure, Inclusive Financial Systems, The Gates Foundation; and Jeffrey M. Kelly, Partner at Nelson Mullins, for a panel Bias, Fairness, and Artificial Intelligence in Legal Practice.
The discussion explored the growing role of artificial intelligence in legal practice, how bias can be introduced into AI systems, the risks of reinforcing existing inequities, and the importance of human oversight, sound governance, and the importance of regulation. The panelists also highlighted ways AI can be leveraged to enhance consistency, reduce subjectivity, surface blind spots, and support more equitable client service, when paired with informed human oversight and clear governance frameworks.
