Professor Jo Shaw contributes to open letter on Generative AI in Scottish law schools
Tue 17 February 2026
Head of Edinburgh Law School, Professor Jo Shaw, has led the drafting of an open letter on the use of generative AI in Scottish legal education, published in the Journal of the Law Society of Scotland.
The letter sets out both general views on the role of GenAI in legal education and specific examples, drawn together via the Committee of Heads of Scottish Law Schools, of which Jo Shaw is a member. It was written in response to an article published in December 2025 in Scottish Legal News. It addresses perceptions that law schools may have been slow to engage constructively with generative AI technologies.
In the letter, the Heads of School emphasise that Scottish law schools are engaging actively with AI, while taking a careful and responsible approach, considering issues around ethics and environmental impact. Rather than focusing on specific tools in a rapidly evolving sector, they highlight the importance of helping students to understand the capabilities, limitations and ethical implications of generative AI, and when its use is appropriate both in legal study and, potentially, in legal practice.
Edinburgh Law School is actively engaging with the challenges posed by GenAI including hosting the regional final of the Global LegalTech Venture Days and introducing ClientConnectEd - a generative AI client interview simulator - within the Diploma of Professional Legal Practice. Alongside this, all University of Edinburgh staff and students have access to ELM (Edinburgh Language Model).
Read the full letter:
Generative AI in Scottish law schools | Law Society of Scotland