Washington University School of Law is proud to extend its leadership in AI training and education beyond the classroom and into the courtroom. Over the past several months, WashU Law has engaged with judges across the country to explore how artificial intelligence can improve efficiency in the judiciary while addressing the ethical, technical, and practical limitations of these tools.
In July, Oliver Roberts, Co-Director of the WashU Law AI Collaborative and Adjunct Professor of Law, led a panel at the annual Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The program brought together judges from across the state and featured representatives from Thomson Reuters and LexisNexis, who showcased never-before-released prototypes of AI tools designed to generate bench memos. Using real cases from Pennsylvania courts, the demonstrations gave judges the opportunity to test the tools directly. The feedback on the tools was overwhelmingly positive, signaling cautious optimism about the potential for AI-powered tools to assist judges and streamline the drafting of opinions.
Next month, WashU Law will bring its AI programming to Mississippi, where Professor Roberts will lead a session titled “AI in Legal Practice: Ethical Challenges & Opportunities for Lawyers and Judges” at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi’s 17th Annual Bench & Bar CLE Conference. The training will provide practical insights into both the opportunities and risks AI presents for the legal profession and the judiciary.
WashU Law is also in discussions with many courts across the country to expand its AI education and training initiatives to other judiciaries in the months ahead.
Back on campus, WashU Law is preparing the next generation of lawyers to understand how AI is shaping the courts. This fall, students have the opportunity to enroll in AI and the Judiciary, a course co-taught by Judge Joshua Deahl of the D.C. Court of Appeals and Professor Roberts. Judge Deahl, who authored the February 2025 opinion in Ross v. United States where he incorporated AI into his legal analysis using Claude, will offer students a first-hand perspective on how judges are beginning to approach and experiment with AI in their work.
WashU Law will also host a CLE program on September 18, 2025, titled “AI in the Judiciary: Can AI Ever Replace Decision Makers?” The event will feature a discussion with Kimo Gandall, CEO of Arbitrus.ai, a legal technology company developing an AI system capable of issuing legal decisions. This program will examine the benefits and limitations of such technology and consider the question of whether AI could ever replace human judges in resolving legal disputes.
WashU Law is committed to expanding its leadership at the intersection of law and technology, with more programs, collaborations, and innovations to come.
WashU Law invites all judges, clerks, and court staff to contact us to collaborate on AI innovation, education, and training. To discuss collaborations, please contact Professor Roberts at oroberts@wustl.edu
