By Gwyneth K. Shaw
Berkeley Law’s groundbreaking AI program for Master of Laws (LL.M.) executive track students is expanding — and drawing rave reviews from its first participants.
The LL.M. Certificate in AI Law and Regulation, which began in August 2024, is the first of its kind at an American law school and has attracted students from more than 40 countries, including lawyers working in the U.S. looking to broaden their expertise. Already, the first crop of graduates are making an impact, advising tech firms, governments, and nongovernmental organizations on responsible AI policy.
“I often tell young lawyers to never stop learning, so I took my own advice,” says Graham H. Ryan LL.M. ’25, a partner at Jones Walker. “Being part of the first cohort has been a deep dive into how AI is transforming business, law, and society. The experience has already strengthened how I approach complex problems at the intersection of law and technology.”
Built on the bedrock of the law school’s vaunted law and technology program, the AI and Regulation certificate is open for applications from students interested in the LL.M. executive track program, which is completed over two summers or through remote study with one summer on campus.
Next summer the program will offer two new courses — Biotechnology Law and Corporate Strategy in the Age of AI and Geopolitics — reflecting how artificial intelligence is transforming every major sector. They build on the existing curriculum, which includes Fundamentals of AI Technology, Global Regulation of AI, and Making AI Work for the People.
“Berkeley Law has always stood for excellence, community, and public mission,” Dean Erwin Chemerinsky says. “Our AI Law and Regulation program reflects those values. It’s been immensely popular, and we’re proud to see how students from around the world are finding such value in it as we expand our offerings.”
Applications for the summer 2026 cohort are open through Nov. 18 for the remote and summer option, and through Feb. 15 for the two-summer track.
At the forefront
As AI continues to grow at a breakneck pace, lawyers need knowledge to both keep up and innovate in the sector. Berkeley Law’s program offers students a way to gain deep understanding from both cutting-edge legal scholars and a roster of lecturers who are also practitioners.
Janina Winz LL.M. ’25, associate partner at Kapellmann und Partner Rechtsanwalte in Dusseldorf, Germany, says being on Berkeley’s campus and connecting with classmates from around the world was “an incredible experience.”
“We dove into some of the most pressing legal issues around AI, from regulation and privacy to intellectual property, cybersecurity, and liability,” she says. “The focus was not only on innovation but also on how to responsibly address the legal, ethical, and societal risks these technologies create. It was challenging, energizing, and deeply rewarding.”
Professor Colleen V. Chien ’02, whose Law and Governance of Artificial Intelligence course is the backbone of the LL.M. certificate program, has a forthcoming article that proposes using ChatGPT-style applications to improve access to the court system for low-income people.
Chien, a faculty co-director at the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology (BCLT), also co-authored the first field study of legal aid attorneys using AI to improve service delivery.
“Artificial intelligence is reshaping nearly every area of human activity, from the courtroom to the marketplace,” she says. “At Berkeley Law, we’re preparing lawyers to engage with these changes thoughtfully and rigorously — understanding both the promise of innovation and the need to safeguard rights, equity, and accountability in how these systems are designed and governed.”
Timely course offerings
That combination comes into sharper focus through the new courses. Biotechnology Law, taught by Matthew Show and Amanda Casale of International Flavors and Fragrances, probes the evolving intersection of artificial intelligence and biotechnology law, focusing on the legal, regulatory, and ethical challenges posed by AI-driven innovation in the life sciences.
Berkeley Center for Law and Business Executive Director Angeli Patel ’20 will teach Corporate Strategy in the Age of AI and Geopolitics. The course will focus on how CEOs, chief legal officers, and boards respond to AI’s disruptive potential while navigating innovation, competition, and legal risk and include guest speakers from leading AI companies and policy experts.
The new offerings bolster the AI certificate’s ultimate mission: to help busy professionals grapple with the real-time legal issues around AI and other emerging technologies.
“Today’s lawyers need to integrate technology into their practice, not just understand it in theory,” says Professor Chris Jay Hoofnagle, who teaches the Cybersecurity in Context: Technology, Policy, and Law course and is also a BCLT faculty co-director.
“Learning to think like a lawyer in the age of AI means using machine learning, computer vision, and other digital tools ethically and effectively to investigate, analyze, and advocate,” he adds. “It’s about building the fluency and confidence to navigate a profession that’s being transformed by technology.”
The program was the perfect fit for Otilia Phiri LL.M. ’25, Microsoft’s head of legal affairs for Egypt, Nigeria & Morocco, who’s currently based in Kenya. She says she “learned as much from my classmates as from the coursework itself.”
“Growth is usually found on the other side of the unknown,” she adds. “Being taught by powerhouse faculty who are working at the cutting edge of these issues was nothing short of amazing. And being part of a global cohort of lawyers and technologists has been such a gift.”
Alex A.G. Shapiro contributed to this report.