Past Events

The Northwestern Law and Technology Initiative will be hosting the 18th Edition of the International Conference on Substantive Technology in Legal Education and Practice aka SubTech. This is a biennial conference exploring substantive legal technology since 1990.

Every two years since 1990, the SubTech conference brings together scholars, practitioners, and technologists interested in the intersection of technology and legal practice and education (both broadly defined) to venues of Salzburg, Chicago, Paris, Montreal, Stockholm, Cambridge (MA), Warwick (UK), Seattle, Oslo, Williamsburg, Vienna, New York, Zaragoza, Richmond, Nashville, Singapore, and Tallinn.

An international multidisciplinary gathering of specialists who work in the confluence of legal education and the technology of law, SubTech is dedicated to distinctively legal applications of information technology, as used or studied in legal education.

By “substantive” we mean technologies of law teaching or practice that involve significant legal content. Artificial intelligence, computer-aided instruction, practice systems, online legal research, and Web-based applications are typical examples. By “legal education” we mean all contexts in which law is studied and taught, not just traditional law schools.

We were are so thankful to our event sponsors:

• Gold: Litera
• Silver:  Kleros, American Arbitration Association, Neota

This event was organized by Daniel W. Linna Jr., Senior Lecturer & Director of Law and Technology Initiatives, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law & McCormick School of Engineering.

On February 16, the Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property and the Northwestern University Law and Technology Initiative, a partnership between Northwestern Engineering and the Law School, co-hosted the AI and Law: Navigating the Legal Landscape of Artificial Intelligence Symposium. The event delved into the multifaceted legal and ethical aspects of AI, connecting the dots between AI and intellectual property, AI regulation, AI and privacy, and AI in legal services. The overarching topics covered in the panels were: AI for Legal Services, AI Regulation and Privacy, and AI & IP. Please visit the Symposium Page (also linked in the button above) for more information and the recordings from the event.

This event was co-organized by Daniel W. Linna Jr., Senior Lecturer & Director of Law and Technology Initiatives, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law & McCormick School of Engineering, and Gianna Miller, the JTIP Symposium Editor. 

Moderators:

• Peter C. DiCola
• Paul A. Gowder
• Daniel W. Linna Jr.

Speakers:

• Sabine Brunswicker – Professor for Digital Innovation at Purdue University, Director of the Research Center for Open Digital Innovation
• Bryan Choi – Associate Professor of Law at Moritz College of Law & CSE at Ohio State University
• Jonathan Choi – Professor of Law at University of Southern California Gould School of Law
• April Dawson – Associate Dean of Technology and Innovation and a Professor of Law at NCCU School of Law
• Peter Henderson – Incoming Assistant Professor at Princeton University
• Mehtab Khan – Fellow at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University
• Nicole Morris – Professor of Practice at Emory University School of Law, Director of the Innovation and Legal Tech Initiative (ILTI)
• JJ Prescott – Henry King Ransom Professor of Law, Professor of Economics at the University of Michigan, Co-Director of Empirical Legal Studies Center and Program in Law and Economics
• Pamela Samuelson – Richard M. Sherman Distinguished Professor of Law and Information at University of California, Berkeley, Co-Director of Berkeley Center for Law & Technology
• Harry Surden – Professor of Law at the University of Colorado Law School
• Charlotte Tschider – Associate Professor at Loyola University Chicago School of Law

On November 10, the Gender Equity Initiative at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and the Northwestern University Law and Technology Initiative, a partnership between Northwestern Engineering and the Law School, co-hosted the “Gender and Intersectional Bias in Artificial Intelligence Conference.” The event brought together technology and legal experts to discuss the many manifestations of gender and intersectional bias in AI as well as the innovative approaches to being proposed and used to mitigate those biases. The two overarching topics covered in the panels were: “Manifestation of Gender and Intersectional Bias in Artificial Intelligence” and “Current/Innovative Approaches to Deal with Gender and Intersectional Bias in AI.”

The event was co-organized by Anika Gray, director of gender equity initiatives at the Law School and Daniel W. Linna Jr., senior lecturer and director of law and technology initiatives at Northwestern. 

Moderators:

Daniel W. Linna Jr.

Anika Gray

Speakers:

Dean Hari Osofsky, Dean and Myra and James Bradwell Professor of Law, Professor of Environmental Law and Culture (Courtesy) 

Anika Gray, Director, Gender Equity Initiatives, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law 

Kris Hammond, Bill and Cathy Osborn Professor of Computer Science, Northwestern University McCormick School of Engineering  

Jessica Hullman, Ginni Rometty Professor of Computer Science, Northwestern University McCormick School of Engineering 

Hatim Rahman, Assistant Professor of Management and Organizations at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University  

Marcelo Worsley, Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Education and Social Policy, Northwestern University McCormick School of Engineering

Michelle Birkett, Assistant Professor of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine 

Glynna Christian, Data Strategy and Business Partner at Holland & Knight  

Daniel B. Rodriguez, Harold Washington Professor of Law, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law   

Daniel W. Linna Jr., Senior Lecturer & Director of Law and Technology Initiatives, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law & McCormick School of Engineering

This two-day workshop took place on October 26th-27th and explored the critical intersection of computer science (CS), law, and policy in addressing the challenges and opportunities associated with ensuring reliability and trust in machine learning and artificial intelligence systems (AI). The workshop aimed to convene experts and interested researchers, legislators, and regulators from all fields touching upon AI. The aim of this workshop was to foster collaboration and understanding between computer scientists and legal and policy experts and to address the challenges and opportunities of ensuring reliability and trust in AI systems.

Recordings:

Day 1

Day 2

The agenda was divided into the following four sessions:

• Foundations in CS and Law for Reliability and Trust
• Generative AI
• Specific AI Challenges 
• AI Policy and Law

Speakers:

• Aravindan Vijayaraghavan, Associate Professor of Computer Science, Northwestern University
• Mesrob Ohannessian, Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois Chicago
• Gyorgy Turan, Professor of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science, University of Illinois Chicago

• Ana Marasović, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, University of Utah

• Daniel B. Rodriguez, Harold Washington Professor of Law, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law

• Robert Sloan, Professor of Computer Science and Department Head, University of Illinois Chicago

• Charlotte Tschider, Associate Professor of Law, Loyola University Chicago School of Law

• Kangwook Lee, Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science, University of Wisconsin- Madison

• Michael Maire, Associate Professor of Computer Science, University of Chicago

• Robert Sloan, Professor of Computer Science and Department Head, University of Illinois Chicago

• Kevin Ashley, Professor of Law and Intelligent Systems, Senior Scientist at the Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh

• Charlotte Tschider, Associate Professor of Law, Loyola University Chicago School of Law
• V.S. Subrahmanian, Walter P. Murphy Professor of Computer Science, McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University
• Aziz Huq, Frank and Bernice J. Greenberg Professor of Law, University of Chicago Law School

• David McAllester, Professor, Toyota Technological Institute, Professor, Part-Time, Department of Computer Science, University of Chicago

• Paul Gowder, Professor of Law, Associate Dean of Research and Intellectual Life, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
• Ermin Wei, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Associate Professor of Industrial Engineering & Management Sciences, Northwestern University McCormick School of Engineering

• Anthony J. Casey, Donald M. Ephraim Professor of Law and Economics, Faculty Director, The Center on Law and Finance, University of Chicago Law
• Sabine Brunswicker, Professor for Digital Innovation, Director of the Research Center for Open Digital Innovation (RCODI) at Purdue University
• Aloni Cohen, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science and Data Science

• Sarah Lawsky, Stanford Clinton Sr. and Zylpha Kilbride Clinton Research Professor of Law, Vice Dean, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
• Tom Lynch, Chief Information Officer, Bureau of Technology, Cook County
• Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid, Illinois State Representative, 21st House District

Moderator:

• Daniel W. Linna Jr., Senior Lecturer and Director of Law and Technology Initiatives, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and McCormick School of Engineering

In the spring of 2023, LTI introduced a new joint Executive Education Series designed to help law firm leaders, lawyers, and other legal professionals understand and make the most of the computational technologies that are transforming the delivery of legal services.  

The first Executive Education class, entitled, How ChatGPT and Generative AI Will Change Legal Services, provided a deep dive into ChatGPT and language generation, including:

• A functional understanding of how ChatGPT and similar large language models and generative tools work 
• Understanding the functional roles and impacts that generative tools can have on legal workflows–what they can and cannot do today 
• Framing ChatGPT and generative tools within the landscape of technologies for Legal Services 
• Capturing the benefits and managing the risks of ChatGPT and generative tools, including addressing lawyer professional responsibility requirements 
• Advising clients and establishing internal policies for using ChatGPT and generative tools 
• Assessing the value of leveraging generative tools for new use cases 
• Establishing a basis for making decisions about future innovations and offerings in this space 

This class was taught by professors Daniel W. Linna Jr., and Kristian J. Hammond. Various legal professionals attended the event, including law firm leaders, other legal professionals, and professionals providing alternative legal services.

Panelists:

• John McGinnis, Professor, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
• Kris Hammond, Professor, Northwestern University McCormick School of Engineering
• Irina Matveeva, Chief of Data Science & AI, Reveal

Moderator:

• Daniel W. Linna Jr., Senior Lecturer and Director of Law and Technology Initiatives, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and McCormick School of Engineering

Panelists:

• Matthew Kugler, Professor, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
• Cristina Messerschmidt, Attorney, Baker McKenzie
• Rebecca Wexler, Professor, UC Berkeley School of Law

Moderator:

• Professor Daniel W. Linna Jr., Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and McCormick School of Engineering.

Corporate legal departments are leading the legal industry in their use of legal operations, innovation, data analytics, and technology to improve legal-services delivery. They also expect their outside law firms to innovate to improve services and outcomes. Our panelists will share specific examples of innovation and technology adoption in legal departments and law firms, discuss what clients expect of their law firms today (and will expect of them in the future), and explore how lawyers and law students should prepare to be successful as innovation, data analytics, and technology transform the legal industry.

Panelists:

• Farrah Pepper, Chief Legal Innovation Counsel, Marsh McLennan
• Wendy Rubas, Chief Legal Executive, VillageMD
• Jeffrey Sharer, Founder and Principal, LexShift & Sharer Law
• Stephanie Shirley, VP & General Counsel, Brunswick Business Acceleration

Moderator:

• Daniel W. Linna Jr., Senior Lecturer and Director of Law and Technology Initiatives, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and McCormick School of Engineering
  

Panelists:

• Sonja Ebron, Courtroom5, CEO, founding member of Justice Technology Association 
• Yousef Kassim, Easy Expunctions, CEO, founding member of Justice Technology Association 
• Conor Malloy, Law Center for Better Housing, Supervising Attorney & Rentervention Director 
• Teri Ross, Illinois Legal Aid Online, Executive Director 

Moderator:

• Daniel W. Linna Jr., Senior Lecturer and Director of Law and Technology Initiatives, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and McCormick School of Engineering

In the summer of 2022, LTI hosted a series of virtual “coffee chats” with leaders in the legal industry whose work focused on the intersection of technology and the law. Our speakers ranged from leaders at AmLaw 100 law firms, to founders of innovative startups. They spoke on a wide array of topics, from data privacy and cyber security to cloud technology in the judicial system. These events gave students the opportunity to hear from people who are pushing the legal industry forward. We plan to continue this successful series in the near future. See past speakers below: 

Courts are using technologies to improve administration, access, and self-help, sometimes transforming what it means to go to court. During this program, the panelists will present their research on court technologies and discuss the promise and pitfalls for improving access to justice. 

Panelists:

• Amy Schmitz, Professor, The Ohio State Moritz College of Law 
• Jason Tashea, Schmidt Innovation Fellow, Georgetown University Law Center 
• Oladeji Tiamiyu, Senior Clinical Fellow, Harvard Negotiation & Mediation

Moderator:

• Professor Daniel W. Linna Jr., Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and McCormick School of Engineering. 

Five teams of Northwestern Computer Science and Law students developed technology solutions, working with project partners, under the direction of Professors Kris Hammond and Dan Linna. Watch their demos and Q&A with a panel of experts.

Projects:

• LexShift – Omnibus Legislation Review
• Mayer Brown – Contract clause search & review
• McGuireWoods – M&A Transaction Management
• Northwestern Medicine – Health Data Sharing Enabled by Computable Contracts
• Thomson-Reuters – Extracting and Classifying Information from Court Dockets and Evaluating Classifications for Bias

Panelists:

• Kunoor Chopra, Elevate, VP of Legal Services and Co-founder
• Nick Long, Deloitte, Managing Director – Legal Business Services
• Irina Matveeva, Reveal, Chief of Data Science and AI

Professor Advisors/Moderators:

• Daniel W. Linna Jr., Senior Lecturer and Director of Law and Technology Initiatives, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law & McCormick School of Engineering 
• Kris Hammond, Bill and Cathy Osborn Professor of Computer Science, Northwestern McCormick School of Engineering 

Artificial Intelligence technologies hold exciting potential for improving our lives in many ways. At the same time, AI presents many risks, such as bias, discrimination, inequality, privacy violations, and threats to safety. Numerous organizations have published principles for “ethical AI.” There is growing recognition, however, that principles are not enough, and many have begun to call for enforceable laws and regulation. In the United States, the Algorithmic Accountability Act (AAA) was introduced in 2019 and again in February 2022. The AAA would require covered entities to perform impact assessments. In the European Union, a broadly applicable risk-based approach has been proposed, with stringent regulation for high-risk uses and less regulation for minimal-risk systems. In this program, we will explore the U.S. and E.U. approaches, discuss the likely effectiveness of these approaches and their impact on innovation and safety, and discuss whether these approaches will lead to fairness and accountability in the design, development, and use of AI.

Panelists:
•  Rashan Colbert, Research Director, Office of Cory Booker, United States Senate
•  J eanna Matthews , Professor, Computer Science, Clarkson University
•   B en Rossen , Special Counsel (Privacy and Data Security), Office of Baker Botts
•  S andra Wachter , Associate Professor and Senior Research Fellow, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford

Moderator:
•  Laura Pedraza-Fariña , Professor of Law, Associate Dean for Innovation and Partnerships, Northwestern University

Upsolve, a legal technology nonprofit, recently sued the State of New York alleging that New York unauthorized practice of law (UPL) restrictions violate the First Amendment. During this program, we will analyze the Upsolve litigation, discuss how UPL laws contribute to the access-to-justice gap, and discuss the likelihood of regulatory reform and similar litigation in other states.

Panelists:
•  Nora Freeman Engstrom , Stanford Law
•  Josh King , RealSelf GC; former Avvo Chief Legal Officer
•  Daniel B. Rodriguez , Northwestern Law

Moderator:
•  Daniel W. Linna Jr. , Northwestern Law

Co-sponsored by the High Tech Law Society and presented by the  Honorable Paul W. Grimm, United States District Court, District of Maryland and  Professor Maura R. Grossman, J.D., Ph.D., David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science, University of Waterloo.

In the ever-changing landscape of litigation and modern forms of evidence, understanding cutting-edge topics relating to Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become essential for lawyers, their experts, and judges. Topics to be covered in this 90-minute session will include the fundamentals of AI, such as an understanding of how it works, how it is being used in the legal industry and elsewhere, and some of the issues AI implicates. In addition, the session will also address what admissibility issues are posed in introducing AI evidence and how to address those issues, as well as a description and analysis of the pertinent rules of evidence and how they apply to AI.

Technology holds great promise for improv ing  access to legal information, legal services, and justice. During this session, three LegalTech leaders join us to demo their solutions and discuss how technology can help reduce the justice gap: nonprofit “Rentervention” provides a chat bot that helps Chicago tenants; Upsolve, a TIME 2020 Best Invention   winner, helps individuals file for bankruptcy for free; and Paladin provides a platform to help legal teams run more efficient pro bono programs.  We will discuss how these tools are making a difference today and how technology can improve access in the future. 

Panelists:
•  Connor Malloy,  Project Director,  Rentervention 
•  Rohan Pavuluri , CEO,  Upsolve
•  Kristen Sonday ,  Co-founder and CEO,  Paladin

Moderators:

• Kristian  J.  Hammond ,  Professor of Computer Science, McCormick School of Engineering  
• Daniel W. Linna Jr. , Senior Lecturer & Director of Law and Technology Initiatives, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law & McCormick School of Engineering

Courts around the world are embracing innovation and adopting technology in the pursuit of expanding access to legal services and justice. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated these trends. Many jurisdictions are developing online courts and online dispute resolution processes. Some use artificial intelligence to provide legal information, complete administrative tasks, or   make decisions in small-claims disputes. Our panel of experts will  share examples of the use of technology in  courts around the world, including in Canada, China, Europe, and Latin America.

Panelists: 

• Michael  Fang, Law Professor, Nanchang University  
• Cristina Malai, Lecturer, Moldova State University Law School  
• Chief Justice Luis Henry Molina,  President of the Supreme Court of Justice and of the Council of the Judicial Power of the Dominican Republic  
• Shannon Salter, Chair, British Columbia Civil Resolution Tribunal  

Moderator:  

• Daniel W. Linna Jr. ,  Senior Lecturer and Director of Law and Technology Initiatives, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law & McCormick School of Engineering  

Computation is poised to transform legal services, legal systems, and the law itself. Making the most of innovation and technology, and understanding the benefits and risks, requires deep collaboration between computer scientists and legal professionals (lawyers, academics, etc.). This interdisciplinary symposium brings together researchers working at the intersection of law and computation to explore the effects of computation on law.

Artificial Intelligence is transforming the future of work. AI has the potential to automate and augment many tasks. This transformation is leading to the creation of new roles and jobs to be done. How will AI  impact the work of lawyers, legal professionals, and law firms? Our panelists will discuss the future of work, the work of lawyers and structure of law firms, and current uses o f AI for legal services today.  

Speakers: 

• Stephen Poor, Partner and chair emeritus, Seyfarth  
• Mari  Sako, Professor of Management Studies, Saïd Business School, University of  Oxford  
• Hyejin Youn , Assistant Professor of Management & Organizations, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University  

Moderator:  

• Daniel W. Linna Jr. , Senior Lecturer & Director of Law and Technology Initiatives, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law & McCormick School of Engineering

In 2018, an Uber self-driving car hit and killed a pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona. Investigations revealed flaws in the vehicle’s self-driving mechanisms and Uber’s safety culture. Uber quickly agreed to a settlement of civil claims with the pedestrian’s family. But while Uber was cleared of criminal charges, the vehicle’s safety driver was charged with negligent homicide in September 2020.

As artificial intelligence is woven into more facets of life, who should be legally and morally responsible for failures and other negative consequences to individuals and society? This panel will explore the legal, technological, and societal implications of assigning responsibility for autonomous systems failures.

Join us to begin this important conversation with Ryan Calo, Madeleine Clare Elish, and Todd Murphey in a virtual panel forum moderated by Dan Linna.

Panelists:  

• Todd Murphey , Professor of Mechanical Engineering and of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences @Northwestern University;
• Ryan Calo , Lane Powell and D. Wayne Gittinger Professor @University of Washington School of Law;
• Madeleine Clare Elish , Senior Research Scientist @Google

Moderator: 

•  Daniel Linna, Senior Lecturer and Director of Law and Technology Initiatives at Northwestern University

COVID-19 has resulted in all industries rethinking the way they conduct business. Please join  Terri  Mascherin , a partner at Jenner & Block, and James  Sprayregen, a restructuring partner at Kirkland & Ellis, as they discuss the ways large law firms are innovating, adopting technology, and adapting during these challenging times. The  panelists will discuss not only how law firms have responded to COVID-19 but also how the pandemic has presented new opportunities for innovation  and technology adoption.  Daniel B. Rodriguez,  a professor and the former dean at  Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, will moderate this discussion.  

Panelists:  

• Terri Mascherin, Jenner & Block
• James Sprayregen, Kirkland & Ellis
• Daniel B. Rodriguez, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law

An increasing number of law firms are using data analytics to predict outcomes in legal matters. During this session, Megan E. Irwin and James C. Yoon will provide concrete examples of  legal prediction in law firms today. Diana J. Koppang will present a study comparing  data  retrieved  across  legal analytics platforms. The speakers will discuss the  possibilities and potential pitfalls  for using legal analytics in the future.  

Panelists:

• Megan  E.  Irwin, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner 
• Diana J. Koppang, Neal Gerber & Eisenberg
• James C. Yoon, Wilson Sonsini 

As technology advances, can the law keep pace? Technology today raises many important legal questions. Should we use antitrust law to reign in tech platforms? How do we protect and balance free speech interests in a digital world? What can we learn from efforts to regulate cryptocurrencies? Rather than regulate in reaction to technology advancements, can law play a more proactive role to ensure that products and platforms respect human rights and democratic principles and comply with the law by design and default? Join us for a robust discussion about these topics and more.

Computational Law is a branch of Legal Informatics concerned with the codification of rules and regulations in computable form. From a philosophical point of view, Computational Law is most closely associated with the formalist school of jurisprudence. From a practical point of view, it is the basis for the implementation and deployment of computer systems capable of doing useful legal calculations, such as compliance checking, legal planning, and so forth. Computational Law has the potential to dramatically change the legal profession, improving the quality and efficiency of legal services and possibly disrupting the way law firms do business. More broadly, the technology has the potential to bring legal understanding and legal tools to everyone in society, not just legal professionals, thus enhancing access to justice and improving the legal system as a whole.