, assistant professor of law at UofL’sĚý, has won a teaching grant from theĚýĚýto develop a toolkit that law professors anywhere can use to incorporate generative artificial intelligence (genAI) into their legal writing curricula.

GenAI is technology that can create text, images, videos and other media in response to prompts inputted by a user – otherwise known as a human being. Of the various types of genAI software currently available, ChatGPT is probably the best known.

Over the next year, Tanner and her team will design, develop and test resources that will become open-source materials for use in teaching legal writing and other law subjects. As the word infers, “open-source” means the materials will be open to anyone, free of charge.

Tanner wants the legal community – particularly those, like her, who teach legal writing – to accept that genAI is becoming part of the teaching environment, and having resources that enable an instructor to use it is key to making it work effectively in the classroom.

“Generative AI will change the way we teach. Some professors worry that a sea change is on the horizon – that we will not be able to assess student learning the way we did pre-ChatGPT,” she said. “Undoubtedly, we will have to adapt. And though generative AI will challenge the way we teach, there is also significant potential for innovation.”

The toolkit will help curious teachers without much prior preparation in genAI to develop knowledge and skills that will help them to embrace it in a way that enhances rather than deteriorates their sense of competency.Ěý“A law professor who teaches legal writing will be able to use the toolkit to continue developing their teaching identity rather than be threatened by the increased tempo of technological change,” Tanner said.

“We intend to show instructors how to frame teaching objectives that either work around or embrace generative AI, giving them a framework that is adaptable to evolving technologies. We also will provide examples of how to align teaching objectives with student outcomes.”

The toolkit also will enable those who use it to customize their use of genAI. “We do not intend for this to be a prescriptive approach to legal writing instruction nor one-size-fits-all writing assignments. Instead, it will focus on principles that each professor could adapt for their own purposes.”

Working with Tanner on the project are Tracy Norton, professor of law, and William Monroe, assistant director for instructional technology, of the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University.

The toolkit is expected to launch in fall 2024.

Burnett understood the depth of the connection between Justice Brandeis and Louisville. He admired Brandeis’ respect for small institutions, his appreciation for federalism, his interdisciplinary insights and his vision of universities as hubs of innovation. He especially respected Brandeis’ commitment to pro bono work, saying how Justice Brandeis “really thought that was part of the obligation of lawyers and part of the noble calling of the law as a career.”

Burnett gathered broad support throughout the university, the local bench and bar and even the Brandeis family. On Feb. 24, 1997, the UofL Board of Trustees officially changed the name of the school to the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law.

“The law school has a unique advantage in the national landscape of legal education. Prospective students know that Brandeis is a school that carries on both the name and the spirit of a towering figure. That legacy has its home at the University of Louisville,” said Burnett.

Over the past 25 years, the school has endeavored to embrace its Brandeis name and legacy.Ěý Beyond his generous donations, Justice Brandeis gifted the philosophy of public service, which has been an integral part of what makes the Brandeis law community so dynamic and engaged, and such a special place to develop the next generation of legal minds.

Students continue the Brandeis tradition of public service through thousands of volunteer hours annually. The Louis D. Brandeis School of Law was among the first five U.S. law schools to require that its graduates complete at least 30 hours of public service. Public service projects during orientation helps new law students appreciate the school’s commitment to service.Ěý It sets the standard early, and most Brandeis Law students’ service exceeds the prescribed hours.

Central High School partnership

Another way the school honors Justice Brandeis is through the Law and Government Magnet Program at Central High School, which enables law students to provide a variety of enrichment activities, from teaching Central students a street law curriculum to attending law school events. Under the leadership of professors Cedric Powell, Laura Rothstein and Enid Trucio-Haynes, coordinating with Central High Magnet director Joe Gutmann, the partnership is in its 21st year.ĚýĚýĚýĚýĚý

Alumna Mashayla Hays, ’15, ’18, chose Central High School for this program. Today she is legal counsel for The Lawyering Project, focused on Reproductive Justice. From Central High to UofL and the Brandeis School of Law, Mashayla thrived because of the village behind her. Now she’s inspiring future lawyers herself.

“Community service has always been a huge part of my life. It started at Central with opportunities to serve the Louisville community in various ways, and it came full circle when I was able to go and teach at Central – giving back to those that poured into me,” Hays said.

The school also is a leader in the study of environmental justice, a discipline focused on the fair treatment of all peoples, regardless of race, ethnicity or income in environmental laws, policies and conditions. Brandeis School of Law’s commitment to environmental justice is an essential part of the school’s commitment to social justice, public service and high-impact, applied research. The program successfully incorporates experiential and service learning, as well as embracing a broader community, as professors Craig “Tony” Arnold and Shavonnie Carthens work with both law students and law fellows.

These are just a few of many examples of students and faculty honoring Justice Brandeis’ legacy, from engaging in legal research to working in our Ackerson Law Clinic.

Looking to the future, Melanie B. Jacobs, dean of the ĚýBrandeis School of Law, looks forward to expanding the school’s public service commitment to Louisville and throughout Kentucky with more clinical opportunities, service learning and applied legal research.Ěý

“The best way to honor Justice Brandeis’ legacy is to ensure that Brandeis School of Law-educated attorneys are compassionate, dedicated, collaborative and innovative lawyers who seek to improve the lives of their clients and fellow community members,” Jacobs said.

Read more news stories on the .Ěý

When 3L Suzy Marino was an undergraduate student at San Diego State University, she signed up withĚý‘s donor registry. She ended up donating bone marrow to the son of Beth McMasters (Louisville Law Class of 1994), a Louisville lawyer.

One year after the transplant — Marino’s senior year of college — she received a letter from her recipient. They began corresponding, and Marino planned to come to Louisville for a visit in February 2016. Just before she was set to arrive, her recipient, Owen McMasters, died at the age of 16.

Marino made the trip to Louisville anyway — attorneys at McMasters’ firm, McMasters Keith Butler Inc., picked her up from the airport. She attended Owen’s visitation and ended up coming back to Louisville for a week at the end of her senior year. During that trip, she spent time with McMasters and her fellow attorneys, all of whom were women.

“I met all these women who were vibrant and outgoing and who were attorneys,” said Marino. She had never considered law school — or moving to Kentucky — before she met the McMasters family. But she ended up moving in with them while studying for the LSAT. Louisville Law was the only law school she applied to.

Marino’s passion for bone marrow donation has not ended now that she’s in law school. In fact, it has helped her connect with a fellow law student.

Brian Fields, a first-year student at Louisville Law, recently completed his first bone marrow donation. He was alerted that he was a preliminary match in late 2019 and underwent the procedure in early 2020. The procedure required him to travel, and the physical recovery has been draining. But Fields credits the understanding and support of his professors with minimizing disruptions to his studies.

“My professors were wonderful and really accommodating,” he said, adding that they recorded class sessions and offered extensions on assignments while he was recovering.

Fields and Marino connected after she posted about being a bone marrow donor on social media. Both have made a point to spread the word about the importance of signing up for the bone marrow donor registry. Both agree they would donate again.

“It’s a pretty small sacrifice on your end to save a life,” said Fields.

“I am both excited and nervous,” Mercke says. “I think that law school has prepared me for going through the gauntlet out there.”

Public service has always been a career goal for Mercke, who will spend the summer studying for the California bar exam before he begins his position in August.

Mercke sees this job as a way to use the opportunities and privilege he’s been given for a bigger purpose.

“Part of the reason I went to law school is seeing the inequities of my community and society in general,” he says. “It’s more than just a paycheck. It’s a way to live my life and do some good in the world.”

As a law student, Mercke has been involved in several public service roles: He’s worked at Louisville’s Legal Aid Society and for the Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy. There, he was involved in post-conviction work and sometimes visited clients in jail. He has also clerked for Chief Judge Audra Eckerle of Jefferson Circuit Court. In that role, he was able to observe the justice system from the perspective of the bench.Ěý

These positions helped Mercke fulfill hisĚýĚý— all Brandeis Law students must complete 30 hours of public service work in order to graduate, although many end up completing many more hours than are required.

“The public service requirement at the University of Louisville helped me see the role of public service right from the beginning of law school,” Mercke says.

Mercke credits ProfessorĚýĚýand ProfessorĚýĚýas influential forces during his law school career. Both professors are enthusiastic, rigorous scholars who have been great sources of motivation, he says.Ěý

Another source of motivation for Mercke is his desire to fight inequalities on even a small level, even if structural change is far off.Ěý

“I want to leave the world a better place than I found it,” he says. “I want to give back what I can while I can.”

During his March 22 visit, Thapar discussed his judicial decision-making process, how his chambers operate and the importance of developing meaningful mentorships with a group of . He also spoke to a University of Louisville political leadership course about lessons from his career and how the federal court system and Article III institutions have developed to serve justice and the American people.

“As a future law student, hearing from Judge Thapar directly about his legal career and judicial philosophy was an invaluable professional and intellectual opportunity,” said Jacob Abrahamson, a senior McConnell Scholar who will be attending the University of Pennsylvania Law School in the fall.

Sidney Cobb, a sophomore McConnell Scholar, called the two sessions “energizing” and said she is now developing a plan on how to get into the best law school and earn the best clerkship possible based on Thapar’s advice.

“What a phenomenal opportunity for young students thinking about the Constitution and about potential careers in law and law enforcement,” said Dr. Gary Gregg, director of the McConnell Center. “Judge Thapar is an impressive legal mind and generous teacher. His seminars left us all with a better understanding of the judiciary and energized our students interested in serving in the legal field.”

Gregg invited Thapar to the center as part of its local leader series, which connects McConnell Scholars with city and state leaders.

President George W. Bush nominated Thapar, the first Article III judge of South Asian descent, to the federal bench on May 24, 2007, and the U.S. Senate confirmed him by unanimous consent Dec. 13, 2007. Prior to his confirmation, Thapar served as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky.

Thapar, of Covington, previously worked for Williams & Connolly in Washington, D.C., and has taught at the University of Virginia School of Law, Vanderbilt Law School and Northern Kentucky University’s Chase College of Law. He received his undergraduate degree from Boston College and his law degree from the University of California, Berkeley.

Brandeis Law’s Ěýis an effort between the two schools toĚýpromote diversity in the legal profession.

Central Law and Government Magnet ProgramĚýstudents visit the law school and participate in writing competitions and other enrichment activities, while Brandeis Law studentsĚýreceive public service credit by teaching legal issues and critical legal skills to the high school students.

More than 500 Central students have participated in the program since it began in 2001, and many of them were present at the anniversary celebration.Ěý

Participating in the partnership as a Central student allowed him to see what the practice of law is like, saidĚýDemetrius Holloway, who graduated from Brandeis Law and is now an attorney at Stites & Harbison PLLC.

Also at the event, two Brandeis Law students — 2LĚýMashayla Hays and 2L Briana Lathon —Ěýwere awarded scholarships from the Louisville Bar Association.Ěý

Hays is a graduate of Central High and is vice president of the Black Law Students Association. Lathon is a with the law school and president of the Black Law Students Association.

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer was on hand to speak about the recipient of the Justice William E. McAnulty Jr. Trailblazer Award from the LBA, which honors those who have had an impact on increasing racial and ethnic diversity within the legal profession. It was awarded posthumously to Carolyn Miller-Cooper, who wasĚýexecutive director of the Louisville Metro Human Relations Commission.

“She represented that type of introspection and quiet ferocity that’s required when we face issues that are not just and require someone to stand up and say something and do something,” Fischer said.

Professor Cedric Merlin Powell presented the award to Miller-Cooper’s daughter.

“She believed that lawyers must be instruments of social change and social justice,” Powell said about Miller-Cooper.

“Because service is such a big part of Brandeis (School of Law), it’s a great way we can serve the community. I’m new to Louisville so this is a way for us to get connected to the city,” said Elizabeth Mosley, a first-year law student.Ěý

Each year, UofL students donate more than a half million hours of community service to the university’s non-profit partners.Ěý

“They are good, good people. They’re going to make a difference in their communities. They’re going to be the civic leaders we want to educate,” said Brandeis Dean Susan Duncan.Ěý

Watch the students in action below:Ěý

The allows eligible undergraduates to make their senior year of college also count as their first year of law school. That means scholars could complete a juris doctor — or law degree — a year earlier. Savings would be more than $20,000 for in-state students and more than $37,000 for non-resident students.

The program is a partnership between the College of Arts and Sciences and the Brandeis School of Law. Currently, students majoring in criminal justice, history and women’s and gender studies are eligible to apply during their junior year. If accepted, they can then apply to Brandeis provided they meet minimum GPA and law school admission test (LSAT) score requirements.

“As a National Jurist and preLaw magazines’ Best Value Law School, we pride ourselves on providing a high-quality legal education and ample career opportunities at a reasonable cost to our students,” said Susan Duncan, Dean of Brandeis School of Law. “The 3+3 program takes this focus on efficiency a step further by allowing students to jump-start their legal careers a year earlier than in traditional models.”

UofL administrators said the collaboration between the two colleges is a good example of interdisciplinary teamwork and innovative solutions to help students graduate quickly and with less debt.

“This partnership is an opportunity for A&S students to demonstrate how a degree in the liberal arts and sciences is an excellent foundation for the Brandeis School of Law,” said A&S Dean Kimberly Kempf-Leonard. “We are confident that students who complete one of the 3+3 programs will be poised for success in their chosen career paths.”

The new approach has already attracted the interest of Owensboro native Lacey Parham, an incoming UofL student who first entered college at age 16 and graduated high school with a pair of associate degrees. Parham was drawn to the opportunity to accelerate her education toward her goal becoming a U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General, an elite law professional who offers counsel to the military.Ěý

“Because of my nontraditional academic background, the 3+3 law program at the University of Louisville could not have fit more perfectly into my academic plans,” said Parham. “Through 3+3 law, I will be afforded the opportunity to experience unrivaled education at my dream school on a timeline that works for me.”

.Ěý

Dean Duncan is the only UofL Dean to participate in the program. This was her second year leading a group of law students to Belize.

“I participateĚýin the ISLP because I enjoy incorporating service learning opportunities with legal doctrine. Restorative Justice is practiced worldwide so it is perfectly suited for this international trip. Exposing law students to different cultures and legal systems will make them better lawyers and people. I find the trip very impactful and rewarding for all of us,” Dean Duncan said.

Laura Mercer, director of the ISLP, said Dean Duncan’s participation says a lot for the program.

“It shows a big buy-in that (Dean Duncan) not only endorses this program, but she participates in it. I think it’s fantastic that she does it,” said Laura Mercer, director of the ISLP.

Prior to the trip, Dean Duncan tasked the law students with developing presentations and interactive exercises to teach both the children at the local schools and the prison guards at Belize Central Prison about the benefits and uses of restorative justice in repairing harms within their communities.

Law student Megan Conroy said the trip exceeded her expectations.

“I’ve always enjoyed travel, so I knew I would enjoy sightseeing the country of Belize,” she said. “However, it was the service aspect of this trip that really impacted me … I definitely believe that visits by students to underprivileged communities spread goodwill and foster good relations between countries.”

Conroy said the older children they met were receptive to the concept of restorative justice.

“They appeared to appreciate restorative justice’s potential to work through conflict at home and school,” she said. “The prison staff were also very encouraged by the concept and felt the process would be beneficial to juvenile offenders.”

Katherine Vail said she was “happily surprised” by her experience.

“I began my trip with the belief that we would be bringing light and love to the country through our community projects. I was happily surprised to see how reciprocal it would be. What I found particularly astounding was the culture there is already very grounded in kindness toward your fellow countrymen,” she said.

Ryan Maxwell said the timing of the trip was personally beneficial.

“When I began my law school career I was motivated to become prepared through a legal education and be a maximum service to my community.Ěý However, this motivation was put on the back-burner when keeping my head above water became a more pressing priority,” he said. “After spending time in Belize educating children and prison staff, the perspective I entered law school with came back to me with full force.”

That perspective, he added, is, “The more you think of others, the less you think of yourself and because of this the gift that you receive is happiness and fulfillment.”

The event was held at New York Law School and featured 38 teams. Brandeis beat George Washington University Law School in the final round to win the title.

Brandeis’ team was coached by Emily DeVuono, a 2015 Brandeis School of Law graduate and attorney at Grossman & Moore, and Ben Basil, a 2011 Brandeis School of Law graduate and attorney at Priddy, Cutler, Naake & Meade.

“The Brandeis School of Law is extremely proud of our three students and their coaches for bringing us home the national championship. Preparing for these competitions involves many hours of hard work. This title is a testament to how talented Brandeis students are and the fine training they receive in oral and written communication skills while at Brandeis,” said Dean Susan Duncan.

The team’s faculty adviser is Professor Ariana Levinson. She said this is the best finish the team has had in more than 35 years.

“I am very proud of this outstanding team and their coaches.Ěý Carolyn, Megan, and Kellie are superbly skilled advocates and have a deep understanding of Employment Law.Ěý As coaches, Ben, Emily, and Leah Smith, who with Ben coached Carolyn and Megan last year, have been unbelievably generous with their time and talents and are amazing leaders and role-models,” Professor Levinson said.

According to the New York Law School website, the Wagner Competition is the nation’s largest student-run moot court competition. This year’s authors, Kimberly Gay and Nicole Mozee, wrote a fact pattern that challenged competitors to argue whether transgender identity is a protected class under Section 703 of Title VII, and whether gender dysphoria constitutes a “serious health condition” under the Family Medical Leave Act.

The final round from March 20 is .