US firm Reed Smith is launching an AI Leadership Programme held at Cornell University’s tech campus in New York to help its partners with advanced understanding of AI strategy, ethics and governance.
The programme will begin in September, with the aim to improve the way the firm advises clients on AI adoption and usage. A tailored curriculum will be delivered in collaboration with the university’s Executive Education organisation, incorporating expert-led sessions and workshops.
Casey Ryan, global managing partner of Reed Smith, said: “By partnering with Cornell University, we are investing directly in a partnership that will enhance the insights we deliver to clients.
“As our partners gain further firsthand knowledge of AI strategy and governance, they will deliver increasingly forward-thinking counsel to clients across industries. This is what client-centred leadership looks like: anticipating the challenges our clients face and remaining one step ahead.”
Matthew D’Amore, director of the Law, Technology and Entrepreneurship Programme at Cornell Tech said that Reed Smith has “demonstrated true leadership” by creating a first-of-its-kind programme collaborating with the university.
He added: “Cornell University’s ability to connect thought leadership across law, technology and business will equip Reed Smith with the strategic and technical expertise needed to navigate the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
“The programme sets a new standard for how the legal industry prepares its leadership for the future.”
D’Amore will lead the programme along with an experienced team that includes Cornell’s professor of operations, technology and innovation Karan Girotra, and Nate Schorr, adjunct professor of law at the university.
Other firms have also been stepping up AI education-related initiatives. In April, Simmons & Simmons welcomed eight students to participate in its inaugural AI law internship programme.
They were given firsthand experience of tech-focused and legal AI roles, working alongside the firm’s leading global AI experts on innovative projects that are shaping the future of AI law and governance.
Meanwhile in September last year, another higher education initiative was launched at Ulster University, with the opening of its Centre for Legal Technology at its Belfast campus.
The centre’s brief is to use emerging technologies, including AI, to improve the delivery of legal services.
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