Washington & Lee University School of Law has introduced a mandatory, one-credit course on ethical and effective AI use. The course is built around Harvey—which recently raised $550 million at a $15.5 billion valuation that’s quintupled since February 2025—and reaches students “[b]efore they read their first case or step into their first doctrinal classroom.” That wedge—for-credit and before conventional 1L instruction begins—differentiates Washington & Lee’s approach in the growing menu of law schools’ curricular and pedagogical responses to generative AI.
Some commentary and details, below the fold.
Washington & Lee’s pre-semester intervention recognizes the fact that students aren’t matriculating as blank slates. Many already have experience with LLMs, with attendant habits and practices that should be reinforced, reflected on, or reformed. Timing is of the essence, and Washington & Lee’s eight-hour crash course does important work in conceptualizing AI-related interventions as governing structure, rather than modular components. That view probably is more reflective of the current trajectory of AI in legal practice—and foregrounds AI use as a foundational skill that students will carry with appropriate guardrails into their doctrinal coursework.
More from Washington & Lee’s communications team:
“Lawyers are in a unique position. We must be able to use the new tools AI offers competently and ethically, and we must verify that everything it provides is correct,” said [Josh] Fairfield[, William Donald Bain Family Professor of Law and Director of Artificial Intelligence Legal Innovation Strategy at Washington & Lee]. “If AI hallucinates, it’s our license on the line.” . . .
“AI is everywhere right now, and people are excited about finding new ways to deploy it in practice,” said [Nate] Reynolds[, co-instructor of the course and 2022 Washington & Lee law graduate]. “The expectations are shifting, and students should be prepared to use AI safely and effectively.” . . .
Students leave [the course] with practical strategies for using AI as a tool that supports—not replaces—the habits of mind that legal education is designed to cultivate.
Related TaxProf Blog coverage:
- Toronto Law’s Laptop-Free Classrooms Have an AI Twist—And Some Students Push Back (Aug. 22, 2026)
- Wendel: Should Law Schools Teach Responsible Use of AI? (Aug. 6, 2026)
- UC Law SF to Require AI-Enabled Lab for All Students (July 28, 2026)
- Getting to AI (July 14, 2026)
- Chicago Law Bans Laptops in 1L Classes to Address AI (July 11, 2026)
