Lander & Rogers explores AI potential in evolution of Monash University collab

The AI Clinical Placement Program is the first initiative of its kind in Australia

Lander & Rogers explores AI potential in evolution of Monash University collab

Lander & Rogers has set out to explore AI’s potential in the evolution of its current partnership with Monash University.

The two organisations previously teamed up to develop the Law Tech Clinics, but have since unveiled their new AI Clinical Placement Program – the first initiative of its kind in Australia, according to Lander & Rogers.

“The legal landscape is becoming increasingly complex and exploring technologies such as AI is essential for staying competitive and continuing to provide exceptional service to our clients”, corporate partner Simon Davidson said.

The program kicked off in May with five Monash University law students, and will finish in August. The program is being helmed by Courtney Blackman of Lander & Rogers’ iHub innovation function and tech team member Stan Chua.

“As a forward-thinking law firm, we recognise the value of collaboration, particularly in the rapidly evolving field of AI”, CEP Genevieve Collins said. “Combining the students' research skills with our industry knowledge and resources, we can unlock new possibilities and drive meaningful impact for the legal industry”.

The student AI team has been working with lawyers and partners from Lander & Rogers practice groups to put together an AI research paper on LLM models. The students identified potential cases wherein AI could be used to boost efficiency and productivity, such as legal research, letter summarising and drafting letters, the indexing of large volumes of documents, and file and document management that adheres to filing rules and protocols.

The team is also involved in the hands-on testing of the use cases against AI models, the firm said. Some platforms the team is looking to work with include ChatGPT, Luminance, Bard, Copilot and Lexis+ AI.

“Partnering with Lander & Rogers on the AI Clinical Placement Program presents a unique opportunity for our law students to apply their skills and research abilities to better understand this world-changing technology and to uncover AI's potential. We are working with teams across the firm to create an impact within Australia's legal industry and beyond”, explained Dr. Jacqueline Weinberg, clinical units director in the Monash University Law Clinical Program.