The Leader in Technology, Innovation, and AI Law

Shaping the future of the law and legal education

an icon of a flagInfluencing state and national policy

by sharing expertise with agencies and testifying before policymakers

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Launching dynamic careers

via the practical experience and networking of our Corporate Counsel Externship Program

an icon with an upward trending bar graphScaling tech startups

via legal advice from students in the Startup Legal Garage and the Justice Tech Accelerator Program.

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Engaging Bay Area and Silicon Valley

business and technology leaders for student learning and networking, including Tech Law Table Talks

an icon with the scales of justiceAdvancing the legal landscape

via top scholarship and research centers: Center for Innovation (C4i), LexLab and AI Law & Innovation Institute

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Leading faculty

are top scholars and teachers in AI and innovation, with experience in national and global tech policy and Big Tech companies

an icon featuring a graduation capEducating students in tech law

in AI-related courses and a specialized Technology Law and Lawyering Concentration for JD students

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Developing AI modules

to support law school teaching and learning

 

Classroom in Center for Innovation

AI Spotlight: What’s New @UC Law SF

UC Law SF’s Startup Legal Garage Partners with 18 Startups Driving Innovation in Health, Energy, and AI

Developing new treatments for chronic diseases. Revolutionizing clean energy. Improving maternal health care. These are just a few of the bold ideas driving the latest group of startups partnering with UC Law San Francisco’s Startup Legal Garage this fall.

Founded in 2009, the award-winning program pairs law students with early-stage companies tackling some of the world’s toughest challenges. Students gain hands-on experience under the guidance of top intellectual property and corporate attorneys, while startups receive free, high-quality legal support to help navigate key stages of growth.

Read more

AI

Should America Protect Grownups From AI?

Zac Henderson discusses how courts may assess a company’s legal duty to protect adults from AI-related risks, explaining that determining what counts as “reasonable” safety measures is highly circumstantial.

AI

Our Laws Must Catch Up to Data Centers’ Rising Power

Prof. Dave Owen and coauthor Alexandra Klass explain why rapidly expanding data-center electricity demands require modernized regulatory tools to prevent higher consumer costs and increased pollution.

AI

“Privacy-Preserving” Tools and Worker Surveillance

Professor Seema N. Patel is coauthor of a policy brief that reveals the consequences of so-called “privacy-preserving AI techniques” on workers. The “Privacy” Trap argues that these create new forms of worker surveillance, manipulation, and control.

AI

Putting the AI in Racial Justice

Nicole Ozer, executive director of the Center for Constitutional Democracy, discusses legal work to defend and advance rights and safety a UC Berkeley Law’s Race & Tech Symposium. “The rights and interests of people are generally the underdog in these fights,” she said.

AI

Scholarly Articles on the Intersection of AI and the Law

Robin Feldman published “Artificial Intelligence and Cracks in the Foundation of Intellectual Property” in UC Law Journal. Zac Henderson published “AI and Probabilistic Dispute Resolution” in Wisconsin Law Review.

AI

Emerging Research on AI and the Law at Leading Conferences

Brittany Glidden presented at Northern California Clinical Conference onGenerative AI in Legal Clinics: Training Tomorrow’s Lawyers with Emerging Technology”. Zac Henderson presented at The Commonwealth Club on AI.

The Center for Innovation (C4i) office with tables, chairs, and large whiteboards

AI Law & Innovation Institute

Led by Prof. Robin Feldman, the AI Law & Innovation Institute is helping to formulate national and state policies on AI.

The institute’s mission is to help courts, lawmakers, and administrative agencies adapt to AI. Recent activities include extensive faculty publishing, media appearances on emerging issues, and Robin’s Rules of Order for AI, a series of reflections by Feldman that provides principles for how to think about developments in AI.

Feldman also recorded an interview about “How I Used AI in Writing a Book about AI” and was featured on the Boardroom Governance with Evan Epstein podcast episode, “On the Evolution and Regulation of AI.”

For almost a decade, Feldman and UC Law SF’s Center for Innovation (C4i) have provided guidance and technical advice on AI to institutions, including:

  • The United Nations
  • Congressional committees and state agencies
  • The Army Cyber Institute (threatcasting)
  • GAO (report to Congress on the future of AI
  • The Federal Trade Commission
  • The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office
  • The National Academies

Learn more

A group photo from LexLab's Demo Day. City Hall can be seen in the background.

LexLab

LexLab’s mission is to prepare students to be technology lawyers who provide outstanding counsel to clients navigating rapid technological evolution, contribute thoughtfully to global technology regulation efforts, and lead the legal profession through the ethical and forward-thinking adoption of new technologies.

LexLab’s work includes three primary components:

  • The Law and Technology Concentration for UC Law SF students
  • The Legal Tech Accelerator, a go-to-market accelerator for legal tech startups
  • Events that bring in leading innovators from the Bay Area, Silicon Valley and around the globe to share expertise and conduct hackathons

The LexLab leadership team includes Tal Niv, Director of Applied Innovation, and Drew Amerson, LexLab Director.

Learn More

Support

UC Law SF donors provide important resources that help us prepare students for success and support leading faculty in AI and technology law.

Support Innovative Legal Education and Research
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The UC Law Science and Technology Journal is a multidisciplinary journal created to enrich the discourse at the nexus of science, technology, and the law. The student-run journal focuses on the exciting legal issues surrounding startups, intellectual property, data privacy, biotechnology, clean technology, and health policy, while exploring the implications of technological advances on traditional legal fields, such as contracts, antitrust, and tax.

Faculty in AI and Innovation

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Robin Feldman

Arthur J. Goldberg Distinguished Professor of Law, Albert Abramson ’54 Distinguished Professor of Law Chair, and Director of the Center for Innovation
View Robin Feldman’s Profile

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Tal Niv

Director of Applied Innovation and Professor of Practice
View Tal Niv’s Profile

Headshot of Paul Belonick

Paul Belonick

Professor of Practice and Faculty Assistant Director, Center for Innovation
View Paul Belonick’s Profile

Headshot of Ben Depoorter

Ben Depoorter

Max Radin Distinguished Professor of Law
View Ben Depoorter’s Profile

Headshot of Zac Henderson

Zac Henderson

Visiting Assistant Professor and Shashi and Dipanjan “DJ” Deb Faculty Scholar
View Zac Henderson’s Profile

Headshot of Nicole A. Ozer

Nicole A. Ozer

Executive Director, Center for Constitutional Democracy
View Nicole A. Ozer’s Profile

Surrounded by opportunity

Our San Francisco location provides students and faculty with unique access to tech companies, venture capital firms, policymakers, and cutting-edge legal developments, ensuring that we remain at the forefront of the evolving legal landscape.

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