UChicago Law Launches AI Lab to Build Legal Tech for Renters
This fall, University of Chicago Law School introduces the AI Lab, a new seminar where students will develop an AI-powered legal tool focused on tenant-landlord law. Instead of just learning about AI, students will create a practical product that could assist millions in understanding their rental rights.
William H. J. Hubbard, deputy dean and chair of the Law School’s AI committee, highlights the unique nature of this initiative: “This is not just about using AI tools in legal work—it’s about creating them, stepping into the role of a tech entrepreneur.” The AI committee has been integrating AI into the curriculum over the past two years, with the AI Lab as its most ambitious project yet.
Hubbard emphasizes the importance of preparing students for the intersection of AI and law, which is becoming an essential part of legal practice. The course will provide immersive, hands-on experience guided by Kimball Dean Parker, JD’13, a legal-tech entrepreneur and former student of Hubbard. Parker is CEO of SixFifty, a company that uses AI to help businesses comply with employment laws through automated legal documents and a specialized AI database.
How the AI Lab Works
The AI Lab models its approach after the system Parker developed at SixFifty, but with a focus on renters’ rights nationwide. Students will spend the Autumn Quarter building a database of clear, well-researched legal summaries regarding tenant-landlord law. The course encourages an entrepreneurial mindset, asking students to identify user needs directly through interviews and research.
Parker explains the technology behind the tool: “We use ‘retrieval augmented generation’ to ensure the AI only pulls from our verified legal database, not the open internet. This improves accuracy and reliability.”
By the end of the course, the students will release an AI chatbot similar to ChatGPT but specialized to provide precise, accessible answers about renter rights. This tool targets people who need legal help but lack the resources for a lawyer, addressing the challenge that laws differ by state and are often hard to find or understand.
Building Practical AI Skills for Legal Professionals
Learning to use AI tools is one thing; building them is another. Parker stresses the importance of hands-on experience: “AI is like putty—you have to work with it to really grasp what it can and cannot do.” The AI Lab offers students the chance to engage deeply with AI technology, which is becoming a core part of legal research and practice.
This approach will help future lawyers not only to use AI effectively but also to adapt quickly as new tools emerge. Parker praises UChicago Law’s environment as ideal for this project due to its innovative culture and talented community.
Expanding Access to Justice Through Technology
This is not Parker’s first effort to combine law and tech for access to justice. Previously, at Brigham Young University, he led a course where students built a legal-tech tool, though it was not AI-based. The UChicago AI Lab represents a significant step forward by integrating advanced AI techniques into legal education.
The final chatbot aims to make landlord-tenant law straightforward and accessible, helping renters and landlords alike. It promises to fill an important gap for those who need clear legal information without the barriers of cost or complexity.
Legal professionals interested in AI tools and their application in law may find similar training opportunities at Complete AI Training, which offers courses on AI in various professional fields.
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