Mississippi Law School Makes AI Training Mandatory as Courts Wrestle With Technology
Mississippi College School of Law has become one of the first U.S. law schools to require every incoming first-year student to complete a certified course on artificial intelligence and the law, Mississippi Today reports. The Jackson-based school said the move is intended to make graduates workforce-ready as AI tools reshape legal practice and regulatory landscapes—including areas highly relevant to crypto compliance and litigation.
“The potential benefits of these new technologies as a force multiplier in the practice of law just can’t be ignored,” Dean John P. Anderson told Decrypt. He added that whether students become litigators or transactional lawyers, employers will expect familiarity with AI tools. The course aims to teach responsible use, verification of AI outputs, and ethical safeguards so graduates don’t develop risky habits that could harm clients or firms.
Why the requirement now
Courts and judges are already confronting the promises and perils of generative AI. In 2024, Chief Justice John Roberts warned that generative AI can fabricate information and lead lawyers to cite non-existent cases, raising concerns about accuracy and due process. More recently, a federal judge ruled that defendants’ conversations with AI chatbots are not protected by attorney-client privilege and can be admitted as evidence—prompting law firms nationwide to alert clients and modify some agreements as they integrate AI tools into practice.
Course design and broader trends
Mississippi College’s course, announced in October, was designed and is taught by Oliver Roberts, editor-in-chief of AI at The National Law Review and founder of Wickard AI. “Whether you like AI or not, I believe you should be learning about it because you can strengthen your arguments for it or against it by learning the foundational concepts of it,” Roberts told Mississippi Today.
The law school joins a growing number of programs adding AI fundamentals to their curricula. In March, California lawmakers proposed mandatory AI training for law students statewide. Meanwhile, courts are piloting AI to cope with heavy dockets: a Los Angeles Superior Court recently tested Learned Hand, an AI system that summarizes filings, organizes evidence, and drafts rulings to help judges manage rising caseloads without replacing human decision-making.
What this means for crypto
For the crypto industry—where regulatory uncertainty, complex contract disputes, and fast-moving technical evidence are common—lawyers familiar with AI will be better equipped to evaluate algorithmic outputs, assess blockchain-related data, and navigate discovery that may involve AI-generated material. The requirement signals an acknowledgment that legal professionals must master both the capabilities and the limits of AI as it becomes embedded in law practice and litigation strategy.
Editor’s note: This story was updated after publication to include comments from Mississippi College School of Law Dean John P. Anderson.
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