Cornell Law School.

The upcoming final for a Cornell Law School course won't include writing an exam or filling bubble answer sheets. Instead students are presenting apps they created to solve challenges facing today's legal aid organizations. 

On Dec. 3 at the Cornell Tech campus, J.D., LL.M. and MBA Cornell students are set to present their custom-made legal apps for the first time. The apps are an accumulation of a new semester-long course “Delivering Legal Services Through Technology.” Students will be judged by Cornell Law School's dean, the president of Bloomberg Law and the chief knowledge officer of Shearman & Sterling.

The students were placed into three teams to address the legal challenges faced by Pine Tree Legal Assistance, Legal Assistance of Western New York and Canine Companions for Independence.

The organizations were chosen because they showed the most interest and eagerness, said Littler Mendelson chief knowledge officer Scott Rechtschaffen. Students spoke to the three legal service providers, figured out what the provider's clients needed and created apps to address those needs.

Specifically, the app built for Pine Tree Legal Assistance interviews and assesses claims of housing discrimination and—when appropriate—prepares the initial paperwork needed to pursue a claim. Legal Assistance of Western New York's app provides guidance to New York residents considering filing for bankruptcy and schedules a follow-up meeting with staff if bankruptcy is deemed an appropriate option.

Students also created an app for Canine Companions that allows dog owners and managers of public property to quickly find the legal rights a dog owner has based on the type of property access sought.

Rechtschaffen, who is an adjunct professor of the course, brought in CIOs and lawyers to provide students with first-hand accounts of legal embracing technology. Legal tech AI company Neota Logic also came in to teach students how to use its AI-powered software to build the apps they'll be judged on. 

“The instructors have brought in thought leaders in legal technology,” said Cornell Law Dean Eduardo Peñalver. “It's been a great introduction to students with AI, AI in the legal practice and getting their hands a little dirty.”

Peñalver said the impetus for the course came after a professor used Neota software in a Cornell immigration program last year. Neota isn't new to supporting law education, having partnered previously with Georgetown University, Melbourne University, University of New South Wales, University of Technology Sydney, Thompson Rivers University and Touro College, according to the company's website.

Kevin Mulcahy, director of education at Neota, said the tech company is set to partner with five additional U.K. schools by spring. Coding programs are becoming a necessity in the legal industry, he said. “[The] next generation of lawyers need to know how to develop applications.”

Peñalver shared those sentiments. “This may not be the particular product they use when they get out into the legal practice, but the hope is after taking this course that it plants a seed in their mind to … stay abreast of technology to be efficient practitioners,” Peñalver said.

Mulcahy added that the reward for students developing these apps comes from learning a new skill and using their legal knowledge to provide assistance.

“The students value it because they know they are getting practical, hands-on experience,” he said. “They enjoy it because they are building something real.”