Legal Technology Literacy

The competent use of technology is a vital part of modern law practice. Comment 8 to Rule 1.1 of the Model Rules of Professional Conduct specifies that professional competence requires a lawyer "keep abreast of changes in the law . . . including the benefits of and risks associated with relevant technology." Thirty-nine (39) states have integrated this duty of technological competence into their own ethics rules in some form. Routine use of computers, phones, and IPads does not lead to the kind of technological competence required in today's legal profession. Students can expect to explore a variety of technology concepts and software with a special focus on professional responsibility, case and client management, document management and electronic discovery, information literacy, presentation technology, and office skills. This course ties squarely into Learning Outcome 6: Legal Skills. Individual class sessions will run differently depending on the week's topic. Some will lend themselves more to lecture and discussion, while others will be split into lecture and hands-on experience using various software students will likely encounter in practice. Sessions will include a mix of guest speakers, Q&A sessions, and group work on ungraded and graded assignments.

Students may (1) take up to 3 units total of advanced research courses, and (2) may not take both Advanced Legal Research and Practical Legal Research.