Vanderbilt University Law School will give students access to DepoSim, an AI-driven deposition simulation tool already used in law firm practice, starting this fall. The move places hands-on litigation technology directly into the curriculum, preparing future lawyers for the unpredictable dynamics of witness questioning before they enter a courtroom.
DepoSim comes to Vanderbilt through a partnership with experiential training company AltaClaro. Students in the Legal Practice Technology course and other classes can use the tool to question witnesses with different personas, hear objections from opposing counsel personas, and encounter the variability of real litigation. The law library will also provide access.
How the simulation works
The platform creates interactive scenarios where students face AI-generated witnesses and opposing counsel. Instead of static role-play exercises with classmates, users navigate depositions where the simulated participants react, object, and push back in ways that mirror live proceedings. The tool covers commercial litigation, employment law, intellectual property, antitrust, securities, mass torts, and expert witness depositions at launch. Later this year, AltaClaro plans to add trial practice, oral arguments, discovery, client interviews, and negotiation scenarios.
Emily Pavuluri, associate director of the Vanderbilt AI Law Lab at the law school's law library, framed the initiative as a shift toward practical competency. "Legal education has a responsibility not only to teach students the law but to prepare them for how law is practiced," she said. "We are building foundational competency across a range of emerging tools, so students understand what these systems can really do, ask sharper questions of them, and keep adapting as the tools change underneath them."
Building skills on tools firms already use
Many law firms already deploy DepoSim for associate training and deposition preparation. By introducing the tool in law school, Vanderbilt closes a gap between academic training and the technology graduates will encounter on day one. Students gain experience with the same interface and workflows their future employers rely on, reducing the learning curve during the transition to practice.
The broader AI for Legal landscape continues to expand into core litigation tasks. For paralegals and support staff who handle deposition logistics and exhibit management, understanding these AI tools is becoming part of the job. Resources like the AI Learning Path for Paralegals address the growing need to work alongside AI-powered litigation technology.
Why this matters for legal professionals
Law schools adopting practice-ready AI tools signals a shift in how the profession trains its newest members. For current practitioners, the message is clear: AI-driven deposition simulation is no longer experimental. Firms that use DepoSim or similar platforms should expect incoming associates who already know the tool. For those evaluating litigation technology, Vanderbilt's adoption provides a real-world benchmark - if a top law school is building curriculum around it, the tool has moved past the pilot phase into standard practice.
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