By Chris Caesar
law of technology
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winter 2026
technology of law
By Michael Fisch
When Jack Brandt stood watch on a 154-foot coast guard cutter in the Arabian Gulf, tracking smuggling networks that fund extremism—with Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy vessels shadowing the American ship—he never imagined his next mission would involve code instead of radar.
Today, the Class of 2026 student builds AI assistants to help service members navigate military education benefits and ethics requests—the kind of bureaucratic issues he wishes he’d had help with himself. “Some procedures are tough," Brandt says. “Now I'm using AI to simplify a few of the processes I could have used some help with.”
That blend of real-world problem-solving and technical innovation earned him recognition as one of eight National Jurist Law Students of the Year for 2026. But at Suffolk Law, where students routinely build technology to solve legal problems, his trajectory from cutter to code isn't surprising—it’s the emerging blueprint for how lawyers will practice in the decades ahead.
The work is already having an impact at scale: The Legal Innovation & Technology (LIT) Lab’s Turbo Tax-style court forms help self-represented litigants generate 20,000 court documents each year—and now are available across eight states. Students have built tools that seal eviction records, redesign divorce-court workflows, and help renters speed up emergency repairs. The approach has earned national recognition—Bloomberg Law has twice named Suffolk one of the nation's top innovators, and The National Jurist has ranked its legal technology program No. 1 multiple times.
TESTING THE TOOLS
Suffolk's innovation in the tech of law rests on a pedagogical insight: The best way to understand how technology can transform legal practice is to experiment with it. In Professor Dyane O’Leary's generative AI course, students draft cease-and-desist letters and contracts using AI tools—then dissect every flaw to understand where human judgment matters most. Assistant Dean Gabe Teninbaum teaches students to redesign legal workflows so technology can clear bottlenecks and expand access. LIT Lab codirector David Colarusso’s students argue motions against AI bots that challenge them like a judge would—but students can pause mid-argument to research and try again.
This fall, Suffolk became the first law school in the nation to require all incoming students to complete a generative AI learning track through Hotshot—the same interactive platform used by half of the Am Law 100 firms. The reasoning is straightforward: These tools are already reshaping practice, and tomorrow's lawyers need to know how to wield them with judgment and skill.
Jack Brandt, Class of 2026. Photography: Michael J. Clarke
“I wasn’t sure what to expect in Professor O’Leary’s Generative AI class because I’m not a tech person. It has been eye-opening. I feel a lot more confident, and I can see now that Generative AI is going to be like knowing how to type: one of those skills every lawyer needs.”
Austin Crabtree
4L student, Generative AI and the Law
“Law shouldn’t be a maze. In our clinic, we’re building tools that turn a day-long courthouse ordeal into a few clear steps online.”
Grant Alexander
3L student, Online Dispute Resolution Clinic
“Before Suffolk, I pictured a very traditional legal career. Now I see technology as a game changer—a neutral way to make the system easier for everyone. Turning intimidating court forms—like the 209A animal welfare petition—into simple questionnaires isn’t just coding; it’s access to justice.”
Alara Akisik
2L student, LIT Clinic
SERVICES-AT-SCALE
The strategy reflects a vision Dean Andrew Perlman championed more than a decade ago—long before anything called ChatGPT existed. He pioneered Suffolk’s innovation programs before his time as dean, and since then, the Law School has launched a wide range of programs that are at the cutting edge of legal education.
Law schools should be places where future lawyers know how to deliver legal services effectively and efficiently, Perlman says. Today, that means learning how to use generative AI and similar tech tools, which can also help to improve access to justice.
A services-at-scale ethos permeates Suffolk’s approach to the tech of law. In the LIT Lab, students built the Document Assembly Line project that drew 200 volunteers from around the world during the pandemic to create mobile-friendly court forms now used in states ranging from Vermont to Alaska. Students have taken their new skill set into externships at Fortune 500 tech companies, where they helped standardize contracting processes. Several LIT graduates now lead legal-innovation efforts at law firms, for the court system, or even their own start-ups.
“My classmates and I keep finding the same thing,” Brandt says. “When we use technology to simplify the path—whether it’s in family law or fair housing—justice is easier to find.”
“Right now, I’m creating guided interviews that turn complex court forms—like appellate briefs—into simple, step-by-step experiences. It’s like TurboTax for the legal system: helping people complete filings accurately and efficiently. Every new technology in law starts risky—think email or eDiscovery—and then becomes mandatory. AI will follow the same cycle.”
Sam Darkwa, Jr.
2L student, LIT Clinic
“We talk a lot about being the human in the loop. It’s not just asking AI for answers—it’s collaborating with it, giving feedback, and shaping the output. That skill will be useful in corporate practice.”
Clare O’Leary
3L student, Generative AI and the Law
TESTING THE TOOLS
Suffolk's innovation in the tech of law rests on a pedagogical insight: The best way to understand how technology can transform legal practice is to experiment with it. In Professor Dyane O’Leary's generative AI course, students draft cease-and-desist letters and contracts using AI tools—then dissect every flaw to understand where human judgment matters most. Assistant Dean Gabe Teninbaum teaches students to redesign legal workflows so technology can clear bottlenecks and expand access. LIT Lab codirector David Colarusso’s students argue motions against AI bots that challenge them like a judge would—but students can pause mid-argument to research and try again.
This fall, Suffolk became the first law school in the nation to require all incoming students to complete a generative AI learning track through Hotshot—the same interactive platform used by half of the Am Law 100 firms. The reasoning is straightforward: These tools are already reshaping practice, and tomorrow's lawyers need to know how to wield them with judgment and skill.