GW Law officials named its first director of modern practice and artificial intelligence innovation to guide the school’s faculty, staff and students through a changing AI landscape.
Officials announced in a release Tuesday that the school tapped Anita Singh, a professor and associate director of the Fundamentals of Lawyering Program, as the new director of modern practice and AI innovation role, charging her with coordinating with the school’s leadership, faculty, staff and students to integrate AI and other legal technologies into the school’s curriculum. Singh will also oversee the new Dean’s Recognition for AI and Legal Technology in the Practice of Law program, which will include coursework, training and networking events to help students use AI ethically and effectively.
“GW Law is a thought leader on AI and legal technology, as reflected in our top-rate scholars and faculty in this space,” said GW Law Dean Dayna Bowen Matthew in the release. “We have also always been a leader among law schools in connecting classroom learning and real-world legal practice.”
Singh said in the release that teaching law students how to use AI is a necessary component of developing “practice-ready” graduates, given the broader demands of practicing law today. She said the school plans to partner closely with practitioners from many backgrounds to inform the program’s curriculum development and best reflect real-world skills.
“We are not training students to understand or navigate the technology available today,” Singh said. “We are training them to shape and lead the profession using technology – present and future – as a tool to do so.”
The release states Singh will support GW Law’s leadership team, including Senior Associate for Academic Affairs Dean Laurie Kohn, who oversees the academic curriculum.
The program’s launch comes as GW enters its next phase for developing an AI strategy, as Special Advisor for AI Zoe Szajnfarber works with GW’s leadership team and deans to develop a University-wide approach to AI, following the completion of the AI@GW mapping exercise in August. Singh’s appointment also marks another school creating a dedicated AI officer after the School of Business tapped Patrick Hall as its first chief AI officer last December to support the school’s AI initiatives.
