UC Law SF’s Tech Law Concentration Equips Future Attorneys for the Frontlines of AI and Innovation
Maria Clara Ribeiro Siqueira ’25 and Justine Caedo ’25 say UC Law SF’s Technology Law and Lawyering Concentration provided specialized skills, industry insights, and mentorship that helped them translate their passion for tech and innovation into fulfilling career paths in transactional law, privacy, and AI.
As technology rapidly evolves, the law has to keep up—and so do the lawyers. UC Law SF’s recently revamped Technology Law and Lawyering Concentration trains students to hit the ground running in advising today’s most innovative companies.
With a curriculum updated for the age of AI and platform governance, the program bridges legal knowledge with practical tools. Students learn directly from legal leaders at top tech companies—through lectures, externships, and hands-on clinics—gaining experience with the real-world challenges faced by companies at the forefront of innovation.
“San Francisco is ground zero for the AI revolution,” said Tal Niv, director of applied innovation at UC Law SF. “Our students learn directly from lawyers and innovators shaping the future at top tech companies and startups. They graduate ready to deliver exceptional legal services to the world’s most innovative organizations.”
- One of 12 specialized J.D. concentrations, the Tech Law and Lawyering Concentration combines practice-focused learning with direct industry exposure.
- Students benefit from the College’s top-tier tech law and AI scholars, and its connections to top Bay Area and Silicon Valley tech companies and leaders.
- Graduates are prepared to deliver cutting-edge legal services in fast-evolving areas like AI, privacy, intellectual property, product development, and global tech regulation.
Meet some of UC Law SF’s Technology Law and Lawyering Concentration students:
Maria Clara Ribeiro Siqueira ’25: Relevant Coursework and Professional Connections Set this Program Apart
I’m Maria Clara Ribeiro Siqueira, a recent graduate of UC Law San Francisco.
My goal upon graduation is to work as a transactional lawyer with companies building innovative technology products that are creating impactful change.
UC Law SF’s Technology Law and Lawyering Concentration courses, its corporate externship program, and working with LexLab have truly shaped my goals. I have learned that I can combine my love for social justice with my interest in technology by working with mission-driven companies that use innovation to create a positive impact.
What do you like about the tech law concentration?
The Technology Law and Lawyering Concentration is one of the most practical and forward-thinking programs at UC Law SF. What sets it apart is how applied the learning is. While the traditional law school setting focuses on theory, these courses emphasize how to practice technology law.
UC Law SF professors frequently update course material to reflect the latest industry developments, sometimes monthly, and they bring in guest speakers who are actively working in the field. That combination—relevant coursework and direct exposure to professionals—gives students an edge in a competitive job market.
Which classes were most memorable and important?
Two classes offered as part of the concentration stand out: Artificial Intelligence and Product Counseling. Both classes are taught by attorneys actively working in the technology field, which makes the learning experience feel directly connected to the work I expect to do once I graduate.
Artificial Intelligence, co-taught by Professors Ernest Hammond and Tal Niv, walked us through a roadmap of rapidly evolving legal and ethical challenges surrounding AI. The course encouraged us to think critically about AI’s impact on society and the legal profession. It also provided some foundation in AI governance, regulatory frameworks, and an overview of ways in which AI is reshaping industries, including the legal field itself.
Product Counseling, taught by Professor John Didday, was one of the most hands-on classes I’ve taken. We learned how to give legal advice to technology companies throughout a product’s lifecycle. What made this class special was its interdisciplinary approach. Alongside tech attorneys, we heard from software engineers, product designers, cybersecurity experts, and other stakeholders a legal team may interact with at a technology company. It gave me a real sense of how different teams might need to come across legal advice and how lawyers can provide guidance that’s not just legally sound but also practical and actionable.
Being in San Francisco’s Bay Area made both courses even more relevant and exciting because we were able to engage directly with the cutting-edge legal issues shaping the industry and receive firsthand insight into the challenges and opportunities attorneys will face in these fields. This is especially true for AI.
The changes brought by generative AI are so revolutionary and still in development, legal expertise in the area is limited. As a result, students studying AI law today are stepping directly into the middle of a new chapter of technology history.
What other experiences helped prepare you to achieve your goals?
I worked with AI-related issues in the Social Enterprise & Economic Empowerment Clinic (SEEEC), took a course on International AI Governance, and worked in the legal department of a major health tech company in the Corporate Counsel Externship Program (CCEP).
In SEEEC, I researched the privacy implications of a client’s current AI use and strategized solutions that best fit their business needs. This experience helped me see how AI interacts with all areas of the law, including the social justice field. It was fascinating to apply what I’d learned in class to real-world legal issues.
In International AI Governance, I learned about emerging regulatory challenges, how different stakeholders throughout the world have approached AI governance, with emphasis on the EU AI Act, enacted in 2024, and policy considerations that affect decision-making at large.
I also had the opportunity to apply what I learned in Product Counseling at WeightWatchers through a placement in the CCEP. In this role, I have researched how changes in the law impact products and provided guidance on compliance considerations, working directly with different members of the products team.
This experience has reinforced the importance of staying ahead of regulatory developments and understanding how legal risk intersects with business strategy. It has also given me practical insight into the role of in-house counsel in shaping product development and ensuring that innovation aligns with legal and ethical standards.
UC Law SF’s LexLab provides unparalleled access to tech industry leaders and real-world insights on emerging issues. How did LexLab enhance your experience?
One of the highlights of my time at UC Law SF has been getting involved with LexLab, UC Law SF’s innovation hub for technology and law. LexLab has been an incredible resource—not just for learning but also for meeting professionals in the field.
Through their weekly Tech Law Table Talks, I’ve heard directly from attorneys and business leaders at companies like Meta, OpenAI, GitHub, and Microsoft. These conversations have given me a better sense of the industry, available career paths, and how the challenges tech lawyers are facing today relate to the theoretical learning we have been doing in class.
For anyone curious about technology law, I highly recommend getting involved with LexLab. It’s more than just an academic program—it’s a community where students can explore emerging legal issues, connect with industry leaders, and gain hands-on experience in the field. Whether you’re planning a career in technology law or just want to understand how the law interacts with innovation, UC Law SF provides incredible opportunities to engage with this space.
Justine Caedo ’25: Building Toward a Meaningful Role in the Innovation Ecosystem
I’m Justine Caedo, and I recently completed the JD program at UC Law San Francisco, graduating with a concentration in Technology Law and Lawyering.
UC Law SF has been instrumental in supporting my career goals. The Technology Law and Lawyering Concentration curriculum provided a solid foundation in the legal frameworks that govern technology, and the hands-on experiences have equipped me with practical insights into how these concepts are applied in real-world scenarios.
The concentration also equips students with practical skills and inspires us to think critically about the future of law in an ever-evolving tech landscape.
Following the Bar exam, I hope to pursue a legal career focused on commercial transactions. I’m drawn to the intricacies of negotiating and structuring deals, and I have strong interests in privacy and product counseling. My long-term goal is to work as in-house counsel for a tech company, where I can leverage my skills in these areas while remaining committed to staying engaged with AI law.
What do you like about the tech law concentration?
The curriculum and courses are meticulously crafted to engage with the dynamic challenges of technology and law, offering courses that dive into essential topics like AI and privacy.
The Corporate Counsel Externship Program (CCEP) is a standout feature, providing exceptional networking opportunities both within the organization and through the accompanying seminar, where externs from various companies collaborate. Engaging in intimate discussions with guest speakers—including the former president of Lyft, a partner at Wilson Sonsini focusing on tech IPOs, and the vice president/deputy general counsel at StockX (a former corporate counsel at Google)—has been invaluable.
Which classes were most memorable and important?
Each course helped shape my understanding of law in a rapidly evolving world, but my favorites have been Legal Operations for Lawyers with Professor Drew Amerson and Tech Transactions: Contract Writing and Analysis with Professor Dhruv Datta.
Professor Amerson doesn’t just teach Legal Ops—he immerses us in it. Every class feels like stepping into the shoes of a legal ops professional at a major company or firm. He pushes us to think creatively and strategically about how to leverage technology, process, and data to solve real-world challenges.
Professor Datta’s course gives us a front-row seat to the kinds of complex deals that drive today’s tech economy—especially in the cloud and software-as-a-service space. I’ll leave this class with not only practical contract drafting skills, but a clearer picture of what it means to be a lawyer working at the intersection of law, business, and technology.
How did the concentration approach learning about AI and the law?
AI is frequently discussed in my classes and in my externship, each time from a valuable angle. One of the most memorable experiences was taking UC Law SF’s inaugural AI Law course in fall 2023 with Professor Tal Niv. It felt exciting to be part of that first cohort, grappling with legal and ethical questions around emerging AI systems at a time when the law is still evolving. We explored everything from liability and algorithmic bias to transparency and governance—it really challenged me to think about how we assign responsibility when no human is directly at the wheel.
AI was also a key theme in other courses. For example, in U.S. Privacy Law with Professors Kelly Cooke and John LoForese, we examined the intersection of AI with sensitive data and privacy frameworks. In Legal Ops, we examined how in-house teams can responsibly implement AI tools to improve efficiency while managing legal and ethical risks.
Without a doubt, my favorite experience was during my corporate counsel externship at Unity Technologies. I worked with the privacy team, where I researched and presented on the topic of global AI guidance—like the Garante (Italian Data Protection Authority)’s decision against OpenAI—and what that meant for Unity’s AI products and internal teams. I presented my findings directly to stakeholders across legal, engineering, and business units, which gave me a firsthand look at how companies are navigating evolving global regulations while continuing to innovate.
These experiences showed me that I’m truly building toward a meaningful role in the innovation ecosystem—not just learning the law, but learning how to help shape the future.
What other experiences helped prepare you to achieve your goals?
As a research assistant for the AI Law & Innovation Institute at UC Law SF’s Center for Innovation (C4i), my primary focus has been supporting Professor Robin Feldman with her law review publications. She’s incredibly forward-thinking, and working closely with her has sharpened my analytical skills and given me a front-row seat to some of the most cutting-edge conversations happening in tech law today.
Our research team explores emerging issues like tort liability and AI—think autonomous vehicles, for example—and we hold monthly internal training sessions to dive deeper into the technology and its legal implications. It’s a truly immersive learning environment that constantly pushes me to think critically about the future of the law.
Outside of C4i, I’ve also been a regular at LexLab’s Tech Law Table Talk Series, which brings in leaders from top tech companies for informal, small-group conversations. Some standout sessions featured legal professionals from Meta, OpenAI, Microsoft, Adobe, Shopify, and Cloudflare, covering everything from AI ethics and litigation to product counseling and privacy law. Hearing how these in-house teams are approaching rapidly evolving legal challenges has helped me connect the dots between theory and practice—and made me even more excited to enter this field after the Bar exam.
Altogether, my experiences at UC Law SF have prepared me to step into this next chapter feeling confident, curious, and ready to contribute—equipped to navigate the complexities of tech law and AI lawyering while continuing to shape a meaningful legal path in the innovation ecosystem.