Cope with emerging world, law schools told
‘[Y]ou cannot pause artificial intelligence. You cannot pause evolution,’ and added that ‘in the next two or three years if law schools do not adjust, legal education as we know it now will be very archaic’
Daily Tribune‘[Y]ou cannot pause artificial intelligence. You cannot pause evolution,’ and added that ‘in the next two or three years if law schools do not adjust, legal education as we know it now will be very archaic’
Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen urged the faculty of law schools in the country to start coping with the emerging world or be left behind.
Leonen made the remarks at the University of San Carlos — College of Law's inaugural academic forum Jurisprudence on Trial: Unveiling Philosophy in Law Practice held recently at the Michael Richartz Center—USC Talamban Campus, Cebu City.
In his lecture titled "What happens to Law with Artificial Intelligence?: Initial Thoughts on Legal Philosophy, Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence" before law students and law practitioners, Senior Associate Justice Leonen shared his thoughts on the technological advancements and changes the world is facing, especially in the legal profession.
He said: "[Y]ou cannot pause artificial intelligence (AI). You cannot pause evolution," and added that "in the next two or three years if law schools do not adjust, legal education as we know it now will be very archaic."
Leonen said to better understand these changes, he candidly shared with the audience some stories during his time as a law student, then public interest lawyer, and now Supreme Court Justice, and stressed how the practice of law has advanced from then to now.
He pointed out not just the developments in law practice itself, but even highlighted the evolution of doctrines, giving as example his ponencia in the case of Tan-Andal vs Andal.
The Senior Associate Justice also underscored how lucky the new generation of law students are because of the various tools and apps that are now available in the market that can help not just them but lawyers and litigants alike.
One of the tools he acknowledged was ChatGPT, which according to Leonen, should be embraced not as an authentic source of information, but as a reality that people are going to use this resource.