Will law professors be replaced by AI?
Updated
Law professors score 45 of 100 for AI exposure. The largest share of their task time, 61%, is work AI speeds up while they stay in charge. AI can take over 13% outright, and 26% stays with people.
- 13% AI can do it
- 61% AI helps
- 26% Needs a person
Moderate exposure
Higher than 63% of the 923 occupations we scored.
Task by task
We graded 23 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 3 of them today, speeds up 13 and leaves 7 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records. Routine record keeping and grade entry suit AI and automation. | 80% AI can do it |
| Compile bibliographies of specialized materials for outside reading assignments. AI can search and list specialized sources; instructor verifies citations. | 75% AI can do it |
| Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts. AI can draft syllabi, handouts and assignments for instructor review. | 70% AI can do it |
| Write grant proposals to procure external research funding. AI drafts proposal sections; the research case needs expert input. | 55% AI helps |
| Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, papers, and oral presentations. AI drafts feedback on written work; oral grading stays human. | 50% AI helps |
| Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others. AI drafts exam questions and keys; humans administer and verify. | 50% AI helps |
| Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as civil procedure, contracts, and torts. AI drafts lecture outlines and examples; live delivery stays human. | 45% AI helps |
| Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media. AI speeds literature review and drafting; original research stays human. | 45% AI helps |
| Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction. AI can benchmark and suggest curriculum revisions; faculty decide. | 40% AI helps |
| Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences. AI summarizes papers fast; conferences and colleague talks stay human. | 35% AI helps |
Show the other 13 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Select and obtain materials and supplies, such as textbooks. AI compares textbook options; faculty make final selections. | 35% AI helps |
| Assign cases for students to hear and try. AI can suggest case assignments; instructor sets the final mix. | 30% AI helps |
| Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work. AI helps with feedback drafts; mentoring and supervision stay human. | 30% AI helps |
| Provide professional consulting services to government or industry. AI supports research and drafting; client advice carries professional liability. | 30% AI helps |
| Advise students on academic and vocational curricula and on career issues. AI can retrieve requirements; career guidance needs human trust. | 25% AI helps |
| Serve on academic or administrative committees that deal with institutional policies, departmental matters, and academic issues. AI drafts minutes and policy summaries; deliberation stays with members. | 25% AI helps |
| Perform administrative duties, such as serving as department head. Department leadership needs personnel judgement; AI helps with paperwork. | 20% Needs a person |
| Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students. Live personal student contact; AI helps only with simple questions. | 15% Needs a person |
| Collaborate with colleagues to address teaching and research issues. Collaboration is relational and depends on people; AI adds little. | 15% Needs a person |
| Participate in student recruitment, registration, and placement activities. Recruiting events need people; AI helps only with logistics. | 15% Needs a person |
| Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions. Live class moderation depends on real-time human judgement and presence. | 12% Needs a person |
| Act as advisers to student organizations. Advising student groups is in person and relational. | 10% Needs a person |
| Participate in campus and community events. Attending campus and community events is physical and social. | 8% Needs a person |
How law professors compare
All occupations (923)
Educational instruction and library (62)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $128,500 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 20,060 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- +2.6% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Verify AI-compiled bibliographies against library catalogues
- Maintain attendance and grade records in Blackboard Learn
- Edit AI-drafted syllabi and exam keys in Microsoft Word
- Lead live classroom discussions and moderate student debate
- Write grant proposals with the research case in Word
- Grade oral presentations in person using rubrics
Safer roles nearby
5 related occupations with lower scores.
Questions about law professors and AI
Will AI replace law professors?
Partly. About 4 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly student record keeping and compiling bibliographies. Classroom discussion, office hours and student recruiting stay with professors because they depend on live human judgement and presence.
Which tasks of law professors is AI taking over?
Keeping attendance, grade and required records scores 80 on exposure, the highest on this list, because routine entry suits automation. Compiling bibliographies of specialized materials scores 75, since AI can search and list sources while the professor verifies citations. Preparing syllabi, homework and handouts scores 70, with AI producing drafts for instructor review.
Which tasks of law professors stay with people?
Initiating and moderating classroom discussions scores 12 on exposure, because live moderation depends on real-time human judgement and presence. Office hours score 15, since students need personal contact and AI only handles simple questions. Collaborating with colleagues on teaching and research also scores 15, as it relies on people.
How can law professors stay valuable?
Check every AI-compiled bibliography against the library catalogue before it reaches students in Blackboard Learn. Edit AI-drafted syllabi and exam keys in Microsoft Word, and keep oral grading and office hours in person. Lead the research case in grant proposals, where expert input drives the work that AI drafts.
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Next steps for law professors
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