At Texas Law, we address the evolving capabilities and impact of AI through the lens of a three-pillar strategy. Pillar One concerns our own operations. Under that heading, we are working to empower our staff to reach new heights through the creative use of AI tools. Pillar Two concerns the law of AI. Under that heading, our faculty and students are advancing constructive ideas and insights regarding the wide array of legal issues associated with AI. Pillar Three concerns the impact of AI on legal education itself. Under that heading, we are adapting thoughtfully to account for the evolving impact of AI across all fields of practice.
“[T]he lawyers most likely to flourish in the years ahead are those who both are adept at making wise use of AI capabilities and possess the same expert judgment and perspective that have always been the hallmarks of the best lawyers.”
Dean Bobby Chesney, “AI and Legal Education” (June 16, 2026)
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Roadmap: The Dean’s Statement on AI and Legal Education
In this 2026 memorandum, Dean Chesney set forth UT’s strategy for preparing our students for the world of AI-impacted practice. We reject the idea that “there is an irreconcilable tension between the traditional pedagogical goals of legal education and the emergent need to train students to take effective advantage of AI capabilities.”
Ours is a best-of-both-worlds approach.
Innovative Training: The Texas Law AI Skills Program
To deliver on the goal of preparing our students well for AI-supported legal practice, we have established the Texas Law AI Skills Program. Some important elements of this program are delivered through conventional for-credit courses, including our world-class first-year research-and-writing courses and our essential upper-level Professional Responsibility courses. But the heart of the effort is found in the innovative sequence of training modules that comprise our AI Skills Program, designed and led by Travis Wussow. The AI Skills Program features a fall-semester sequence focused on general AI-related skills and a spring-semester sequence focused on law-specific use cases. The goal: to ensure that our graduates have a foundation layer of familiarity and comfort that equips them to adapt rapidly to the evolving array of situations they will encounter in practice.
Bringing the World of Ideas about Law and AI to Austin
Our AI Innovation and Law Program is a unique vehicle for helping students connect with, understand, and even impact the world of ideas about law and AI. Led by Kevin Frazier—named by National Law Review as one of the country’s Top 50 Legal Innovators in Academia—the program features novel opportunities and access to AI leaders in Austin and across the world. Kevin also hosts the Texas Law co-produced Scaling Laws podcast, renowned for providing unrivaled insights into the bleeding-edge questions that are top of mind for the savviest AI leaders—and students. Find it on all major podcast platforms and the Lawfare YouTube channel.
The University of Texas AI Toolkit
As AI continues to shape how we teach, learn, and work, The University of Texas at Austin is expanding access to powerful, secure AI tools across campus. The UT AI toolkit provides centrally-funded licenses for all faculty, staff, and students to services including Anthropic Claude, OpenAI ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini and Google Notebook, supporting real-world use in teaching, research, and operations. The Law School additionally provides access to leading legal research and drafting AI services including Harvey and Legora.
Need help getting started with your AI licenses? See Accessing Your UT AI Tools for further information.