09/03/2026
Law schools are rewriting their rules for the AI era, and Chicago is part of the conversation.
University of Chicago Law is piloting a no-device policy in its core first-year classes this fall. No laptops, tablets or phones. Exams run in the classroom without internet or file access. Every student will also defend their research paper in person, answering questions from their professor.
Moneywise quoted the dean summing it up: "Students will be there with a notebook and a pen and taking notes." - TechSpot
It is not a ban on AI. As TechSpot reported, the school's memo states "It is simply unrealistic to think that students and lawyers will not use AI."
Faculty pointed to uses they see as productive, like having AI quiz you on your own class notes. The clinics are adding AI tools for real client work.
The reasoning is sequence. Build the fundamentals first, then layer the technology on top.
Not everyone agrees. Moneywise reported only 18 percent of students supported an outright ban, and other schools are landing elsewhere. TechSpot noted Berkeley Law went further, restricting AI across nearly all graded work.
It runs as a one-year pilot.
What do you think? Does learning by hand make a better lawyer?
