Our Work

This is a series of lunchtime workshops designed to dive into real-world applications of AI in legal and policy settings. Instead of just reading about AI in the abstract, you’ll be working through concrete scenarios where the law is still trying to catch up.

We’ll look at how AI is being used in contexts as diverse as professional sports, luxury goods manufacturing, and major law firms. We’ll dig into privacy and cybersecurity issues, competition law, and even governance dilemmas. Each workshop will run in pairs, two days in a row, four times during the year. On day one, you’ll work through a fact pattern; on day two, we’ll bring in an expert to show you how they approached the exact same problem and give you feedback on your choices. It’s hands-on, it’s practical, and it’s a rare chance to test your thinking directly against practicing professionals.

Our second project brings in an extraordinary guest: Bruce Schneier, one of the world’s leading experts in cryptography, computer security, and privacy. He’s joining us as a visiting scholar, and we’ll be collaborating with him on a project that explores the future of democracy and capitalism in the age of AI.

We’ll base our work on a thought-provoking paper Bruce recently published, and together we’ll be asking big-picture questions: How do democratic institutions adapt when AI can generate misinformation at scale? What does economic fairness look like in a world where automation is everywhere? And how do we build legal frameworks that protect individuals without stifling innovation? This is a chance to work directly with one of the most respected voices in this space, and I promise it will be both intellectually challenging and incredibly rewarding.

Our third project is something a bit different but equally important: Navigating an Aging Population. Around the world, societies are grappling with the implications of longer lifespans and declining birth rates. For lawyers and policymakers, this raises huge questions. 

We’ll be working in collaboration with universities across the globe to think about what supports will be needed in the decades ahead. From health law and anti-aging initiatives to economic policy and quality-of-life issues, we’ll be envisioning the legal structures that can best serve aging populations. This is stage one of a comparative international analysis, so eventually I hope you’ll get the chance to see how different jurisdictions are approaching these challenges and think about what Canada can learn from them. There may be a secondary stage that everyone will be able to get involved in, though my guess is that will follow-up next year.

Our fourth project, led in collaboration with Professor Anna Su, looks at one of the most sensitive and fast-moving areas of technology: AI agents in mental health and wellness.

There are countless stories out there (some uplifting, some tragic) about people who’ve turned to AI chatbots for therapy or emotional support. For some, it’s the only help they can access; for others, it’s caused real harm. Like most things with AI, the truth lies somewhere in the middle, and guardrails are desperately needed. In this group, you’ll explore the impact of these AI agents, how they might become more widespread, and what protections people will need as they increasingly rely on them.

This is a workshop series aimed at examining how AI is affecting different areas of the legal profession. This year, we're planning to focus on a mix areas of law that are heavily discussed with respect to AI, and others that tend to slip through the cracks. We’ll be looking at how AI is being used in Climate Law, by working with a legal consulting group known as Manifest Climate. We’ll also explore Competition Law, Intellectual Property, and Legal Design Policy-Making, by bringing in guests from Torys Law Firm, visiting faculty from top US schools, and experts from the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society. If you’re interested in AI, this will be an immersive dive into it.

Sessions will be held on:

1. October 25th
2. November 15th
3. January 24th
4. March 14th

Have you ever wondered what it takes to get a start-up off the ground? Do you want to work with one of the emerging technology and start-up groups at a law firm? Then this is group for you. Students will have the opportunity to manage their own start-up over the course of the year, working with industry experts and advisors to develop a business plan, navigate early-stage legal and business challenges, and hone legal skills from the perspective of legal advisors. We’ll start with how you get a company formed and what that requires, then move into financing and raising capital, guide you through an acquisition, and then finally end off with an IPO. This is a perfect primer for anyone interested in working in corporate law, with big tech, or who want experience with start-ups and entrepreneurs.

Sessions will be held on:

1. October 25th
2. November 22nd
3. January 31st
4. March 21st
    

If you’re interested in health law and privacy, this project is for you. This is a traditional research group project, where we’ll focus on preparing a white paper report with recommendations on how the Canadian healthcare space can introduce privacy-enhancing technology solutions. Why is this an issue? A surprising amount of patient details are still transferred via fax, text, and unencrypted email. Hospitals are also partnering with 3rd party vendors in an effort to introduce more efficient technology processes, which means more eyes on the data and more opportunities for malicious actors to strike. We’ll look at what other sectors are doing, identify significant challenges, canvass new technologies and existing privacy law, and then propose recommendations to rectify these long-standing issues.

California recently passed legislation mandating safety training for companies that spend more than $100 million on new AI models. They can be liable for over $500 million in damages. Criticism of the bill has been fierce, with opponents arguing it will end innovation. Should Canada pursue similar legislation? We’ll be examining whether this would be an appropriate move for Canada and what the long-term recommendations should be, with the end product being a white paper report.