Legal Technology: Artificial Intelligence and Law

Postgraduate course

Course description

Objectives and Content

Legal Technology refers to the use of technology, software and computer analytics to provide legal services and justice. It is increasingly transforming legal practice and institutions and the nature of law and research. The most prominent development is the rise of computational applications in artificial intelligence in legal fields diverse as asylum, contracts, policing and finance. Moreover, creative uses of digital platforms and blockchain technology are providing new possibilities in dispute resolution, legal registries and private law orderings. This course will critically explore current trends and future possibilities of this transformation from the perspectives of legal science, computer science, social science and ethics. Students will:

  • Learn about long-standing theory in law and artificial intelligence
  • Study the rise of diverse computational law methods and processes
  • Explore potential future applications and development
  • Critically examine the sociology and ethics of this transformation for law and the legal profession.
  • Meet leading legal technology actors

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, students are expected to have gained:

Knowledge

  • Good knowledge of the rise of new legal technologies in both public and private law and potential future applications, globally and in Norway, with a focus on use of artificial intelligence, big data, blockchain and online platforms.
  • Good knowledge of how artificial intelligence is theorised in the field of law.
  • Advanced knowledge of potential ethical, legal and practical challenges with using legal technology, including accuracy, accountability, fairness and discrimination. (For bachelor students only good knowledge will be expected regarding such elements.)
  • Advanced knowledge of a specific sub-set of legal technology issues, in particular through the selected focus for the term paper/project, which can be a concrete legal technology project or a theoretical, doctrinal or ethical, or socio-legal reflection.

Skills

  • Ability to identify potential applications of legal technology.
  • Ability to understand how computational methods are being applied in law.
  • Ability to undertake basic legal design in a simple or advanced software package. (For bachelor students only very basic legal design skills will be expected.)
  • Ability to critically analyse the benefits and limitations of legal technology from different perspectives. (For bachelor students only an ability to reflect regarding such elements will be expected.)
  • Ability to participate in policy debates about legal technology and/or design legal Technology.
  • Ability to cooperate with other students and work in groups.

General competence

  • Understand how the idea and practice of law is being transformed by new technologies, especially through machine learning, blockchain and digital platforms.
  • Develop contacts with practitioners in the legal technology industry in both the private and public sector.
  • Develop very good oral presentation skills. (For bachelor students only good oral presentation skills will be expected.)

Full-time/Part-time

Full time

ECTS Credits

10 ECTS credits

Level of Study

Master

Semester of Instruction

Spring

Place of Instruction

Lectures and seminars will be a combination of UiB-based and online.
Required Previous Knowledge
None
Recommended Previous Knowledge

Three years of law studies.

Good level of English language.

Credit Reduction due to Course Overlap
No overlapping with courses at the Bergen Faculty of Law.
Access to the Course

The course is available for the following students:

  • Admitted to the integrated master programme in law
  • Admitted to the two-year master programme in law
  • Exchange students at the Faculty of Law

The pre-requirements may still limit certain students' access to the course:

The number of students admitted to the course is limited to 30. Of the 30 places, 20 is initially reserved for students from the Norwegian Master Programme in Law (MAJUR, MAJUR2), while 10 places are offered to international exchange students at the faculty. If the number of applicants exceeds capacity, admission will be decided by way of lottery within each category of students

Teaching and learning methods

Active participation by the students is expected and necessary. This includes lectures, seminars, group work and activities related to project design and development.

The lectures combined with self-studying are the first step in the learning process that provide knowledge of data protection law and policies.

The seminars, individual work and group work promote active learning that allows for applying the theoretical knowledge in practice, makes the learning process both more effective and more efficient and develop the skills as described previously.

Students learn not only how to use the knowledge they already have, but also how to acquire more knowledge by using relevant sources and through cooperation with others.

Compulsory Assignments and Attendance

Compulsory programming exercise (pass/fail).

Compulsory attendance at first lecture and first seminar.

Forms of Assessment
  • Presentation of draft group or individual term paper - counting 1/3
  • Individual or group term paper (2000-3000 words per student) - counting 2/3
Grading Scale
A-E for passed, F for failed.
Assessment Semester
Spring (only)
Course Evaluation
According to Faculty routines
Examination Support Material
During the presentation of the results of the group work, students are allowed to consult and refer to a report in which they have described in detail the assignment, the legal issues they have identified, the manner in which they approached those issues and their solution(s)/answer(s).
Course Coordinator
Associate Professor Knut Martin Tande
Course Administrator
elective-courses.jurfa@uib.no