There is broad agreement that if law schools are to adequately train students for careers in law, then technology is a critical part of the curriculum. Despite this, many law schools get a failing grade when it comes to teaching tech. So how, exactly, should law schools teach tech? And what topics should such teaching cover? 

April G. Dawson has given a lot of thought to those questions.A former computer programmer and litigator, she is now associate dean of technology and innovation and professor of law at North Carolina Central University School of Law, where her research focuses on legal pedagogy, the use of technology in legal education, and law and technology. 

Recipient of the 2021 Technology, Law and Legal Education Section Award.from the Association of American Law Schools, she has written and spoken about how to design legal technology courses and who should teach them, most recently at the American Bar Association’s 2021 Techshow. She also speaks on how law school faculty can use tech to better engage with students and enhance their own productivity. 

In this episode of LawNext, Dawson shares her insights on why it is important for law schools to teach technology and how they should design and implement tech instruction. 

Thank You To Our Sponsors

This episode of LawNext is generously made possible by our sponsors. We appreciate their support and hope you will check them out. 

• Paradigm, home to the practice management platforms PracticePanther, Bill4Time, and MerusCase, and e-payments platform Headnote.
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• Law Insider, producer of the show Contract Teardown, where they analyze the contracts that others are talking about. 

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