LLMs are swallowing the legal world. No, not the Master of Laws degree – I’m talking about large language models. These LLMs are here, they’re increasingly powerful, and they’re already being used by law students and legal professionals alike (with occasionally disastrous results). Even judges are getting on board. So, what does this all mean for legal education?
The ‘gender gap’ is a well-studied empirical phenomenon globally. Studies in many places show that female candidates are systemically disadvantaged and underperform as compared to their male counterparts in many areas, even after controlling for other factors. Although much of this work has focused on the labour market, gender gaps have also been observed in educational outcomes, opportunities, and experience. These include the sciences, business, as well as law. Although the gender gap in law may not be as wide as in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) courses, major studies in the United States (US) show evidence of significant gender disparities in legal education. This gender gap is reflected in differential grades, differential classroom and out of classroom experiences, as well as differential educational outcomes and career prospects.