The Legal Innovation & Technology (LIT) Center is the hub of Suffolk Law’s nationally leading efforts to help our students and the profession reimagine the delivery of legal services in a rapidly changing world. The Center’s key goals include:
-
- Preparing our students for a profession that is undergoing significant change due to technology and innovation
- Driving innovations in addressing the public’s legal needs (i.e., improving access to justice)
- Improving efficiencies in legal processes for everyone who needs legal assistance
- Fostering a vibrant community of legal innovators
Our programs have received national and international acclaim, including innovation honors from Bloomberg Law, the World Justice Foundation, the American Bar Association, the Foundation for Improvement of Justice, and the College of Law Practice Management.
Q: What are some of the Center’s most impactful projects?
A: One of our flagship projects, highlighted in the New York Times, is the Document Assembly Line, which has helped tens of thousands of citizens access vital court forms through their mobile phones. During the pandemic, we led an international team of over 100 volunteers to create automated, TurboTax-style “smartforms” that enable the filing of emergency court documents from a mobile phone. This project has expanded to multiple states.
We’ve also developed Spot, an AI-powered issue spotting tool that improves online searches for legal information and services. It’s being used by at least five statewide legal aid portals and one national online forum.
Additionally, our students and faculty are at the forefront of exploring AI applications in law, including developing AI tools for arbitration and using AI to streamline the creation of smart legal forms.
Q: How does the Center prepare students for the future of legal practice?
A: We offer a comprehensive Legal Innovation & Technology (LIT) ecosystem that includes the nation’s first-of-its kind LIT academic concentration (a Bloomberg Top 12 Innovator); and the LIT Lab, our award-winning legal tech consultancy and R&D lab.
Our students gain hands-on experience with document automation, generative AI, legal project management, legal design thinking, e-discovery, and data analytics tools. Many of our graduates have landed innovative roles that didn’t exist a decade ago, such as Legal Innovation Advisor and Legal Solutions Architect.
Q: How is the Center addressing the access to justice crisis?
A: One example is our LIT Lab’s mobile court forms, which have helped thousands of self-represented litigants navigate complex legal processes. In one case, our appeals court smart form was used to stop a physical eviction in progress.
We’re also using AI and other technologies to make legal information more accessible. Our Spot tool helps improve online searches for legal help, and we’re constantly developing new ways to simplify legal processes for those who can’t afford traditional legal services.
Q: What recognitions have Suffolk’s Legal Innovation & Technology programs received?
A: Our legal tech program has been ranked #1 by PreLaw Magazine on two consecutive occasions. We’ve been named to Bloomberg Law’s Top 10 Innovators List, and our work has been featured in national media outlets like the New York Times and Chronicle of Higher Education.
Five of our faculty members have been honored by FastCase or as ABA Legal Rebels for their pioneering work in legal tech. Our students have also received recognition, including one being named a National Jurist “Law Student of the Year” for her work combining legal tech and access to justice. Shark Tank recently visited campus to highlight the successful legal innovation work of one of our first LIT program students.
Q: How does the Center collaborate with the legal industry and other institutions?
A: We actively partner with courts, non-profits, and legal aid organizations. Our students serve as consultants for those entities in the areas of legal technology, data science, and process improvement, among others. We’ve secured over $2 million in grant funding for our projects since 2012.
Over the years, we have hosted a Legal Design Challenge, bringing together law schools nationwide to prototype solutions for legal and social challenges. Our open-source approach allows other jurisdictions to use and build upon our innovations at no cost.
Q: What’s on the horizon for the Center?
A: We’re continuing to expand our generative AI and machine learning initiatives, including developing more sophisticated training simulations and exploring the ethical implications of AI in law. We’re also working on scaling our successful projects to more jurisdictions and focusing on making legal processes even more accessible through mobile technologies.
Our goal is to remain at the forefront of legal innovation, continually adapting our programs to prepare students for the evolving legal landscape while addressing critical access to justice issues.
About the Center Director
Professor Dyane O’Leary is a national leader at the intersection of legal writing and legal technology. She also directs the Law School’s LIT Concentration for JD students, which was included in Bloomberg’s top 10 law school innovators list in 2023.
Professor O’Leary is the author of the first student-centered coursebook on innovation and technology practical skills for lawyers. Her scholarship and speaking engagements focus on technology competence in legal practice and the law school curriculum. She has published and presented on topics such as Generative AI for lawyers, artificially intelligent legal research and writing tools and document automation, and cybersecurity basics for lawyers.
At Suffolk, Professor O’Leary designed and taught the first course on Generative AI and designed a new course called Modern Legal Practice Innovation & Tech, which covers skills in areas such as e-discovery, research analytics, cybersecurity basics, word processing for lawyers, typography, remote lawyering, law practice management tools, and digital design of legal documents. She regularly partners with industry experts and vendors to bring a real-world experience into the classroom for students.
In 2023, Professor O’Leary chaired the Association of American Law School’s Section on Technology, Law & Legal Education. Her past national service includes Managing Editor on the Editorial Board for the Legal Writing Institute (LWI) Journal of Legal Writing, 2019 host representative for the Association of Legal Writing Directors (ALWD) Conference, 2021 Site Committee Chair for the ALWD Conference, 2020-21 LWI Committee Symposium on AI & the Legal Profession committee member, 2022-2024 ALWD Board Member, 2021 Awards Committee Chair, AALS Section on Tech., Law, & Legal Education, and 2022 Chair-Elect of the AALS Section on Tech., Law & Legal Education. Locally, Professor O’Leary regularly contributes to MA Bar programming and other initiatives, such as advisor to a committee consider rule changes in Massachusetts because of new legal technology.
