Future Law Project
Directed by Michael Madison, Pitt Cyber Senior Scholar, The Future Law Project (FLP) produces a forum for leadership conversations about ongoing transformations in law. Amid massive and continuing disruptions in technologies, economic conditions, and social and physical mobility, what is the future of legal education? What is the future of law firms, nonprofit organizations, and other legal services providers? Courts and other dispute resolution institutions? Access to law, legal information, and justice itself? What is the role of law in harnessing the productive promise of computing technologies in a diverse and changing world? How are those technologies changing the character of law?
Future Law Research
Future Law Project researchers are imagining the future of law in articles and research reports:
- Michael J. Madison, The Futures of Law, Lawyers, and Law Schools: A Dialogue
- Michael J. Madison, An Invitation Regarding Law and Legal Education, and Imagining the Future
- Michael J. Madison, Preparing for Service: A Template for 21st Century Legal Education
- Michael J. Madison, Visions of the Future of (Legal) Education
- Christian Sundquist, Technology and the (Re)Construction of Law
Future Law Design
Future Law Design is building education and training experiences to meet the needs of 21st-century legal professionals, focusing on contemporary competencies including working effectively with technology, data, security, and AI; and leadership, collaboration, and communication. Future Law Design welcomes contributions from Pitt Law students supported by Pitt Cyber as “Future Law Fellows".
The current 2023-2024 Future Law Fellows are:
Future Law Podcast
The legal system and the legal profession are changing faster than ever, via the development of legaltech, the rise of managed services and legal ops, and changes to student numbers and graduate outcomes. This podcast is about exploring and understanding the changes. We explore leadership and management, technology and law, law firms, courts, and other legal institutions, legal education and training, and the roles of law in society. We take a global view, talking to lawyers, entrepreneurs, educators, students, and thought leaders across for-profit, non-profit, and government sectors. We interview a range of voices from across the legal spectrum (and more), from many different countries, jurisdictions, and backgrounds – all focused in some way on coming to grips with the future of law.
Listen here for current and past podcasts.