UNLV Law School Requires AI Course for First-Year Students
UNLV's Boyd School of Law will require all first-year students to take a new course on artificial intelligence starting this fall. The one-credit class, titled "Introduction to the Responsible Use of AI," teaches when and how to use AI as a tool in legal work without substituting it for legal analysis.
Joe Regalia, an assistant professor of law at UNLV, will co-teach the course. "If you take that commitment seriously, (AI) has to be part of our curriculum going forward," he said. UNLV plans to offer an advanced AI course for upper-level students by spring 2027.
Students Already Using AI Widely
AI use is already common among UNLV law students. Dionne Stanfill, a recent graduate and former Student Bar Association president, said she and her peers use the technology to study and brief cases. "I don't know a single student who does not use AI," she said.
Stanfill views the new class as recognition that AI will remain central to legal practice. She said lawyers who use AI efficiently can serve more clients at lower costs, making it a standard professional tool.
Judges See Value but Express Caution
District Judge Tara Clark Newberry does not use AI herself but called the class "an excellent idea" to prepare students for its growing role in law. "This is not a fad," she said. "It's going to become more and more prevalent."
Clark Newberry has observed hallucinated case citations in legal filings-citations for cases that don't exist. She recalled three instances in the past two years. She said the issue is not AI itself but whether it produces reliable results and whether lawyers take responsibility for errors.
District Judge Timothy Williams also supports the class but warned that AI should remain a tool, not a replacement for developing critical thinking skills. "They have to read the cases," he said. "There's no substitute for old-fashioned legal research and writing."
Williams receives AI-generated complaints from unrepresented litigants about once or twice monthly. Many lack key facts or legal basis. "The law is just so exceedingly complex, and that's where AI falls short right now," he said.
Practicing Lawyers Navigate Practical Limits
Rob Murdock, who has practiced law for 34 years, uses AI to research niche medical procedures and summarize thousands of pages of medical records in malpractice cases. He treats AI output as a starting point, not a final answer. "We go back through the records one by one," he said.
Murdock worries that without proper training, law students may misuse the technology. "I just find it's a great way to start a case," he said of AI's role in his own practice.
Robert Langford, a trial lawyer for 37 years, does not use AI. He prefers his traditional file-building process because it helps him retain case details. Still, he views mandatory AI training as necessary for modern legal ethics education.
Langford's main concern is AI's potential to create fake evidence-manipulated photos or documents submitted to court undetected. "It's just as important to examine the ethics of what evidence you're bringing into court," he said.
He remains skeptical about how much time AI actually saves lawyers and worries about overreliance on the technology. Despite his reservations, he acknowledged AI will likely remain in legal practice.
Broader Trend in Legal Education
UNLV is not alone. AI for Legal Professionals training is becoming standard in law schools. Reuters reported in September that at least eight law schools now include AI training for first-year students.
A Northwestern University survey found that over 60 percent of more than 500 federal judges responding said they use at least one AI tool in their work.
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