Law & AI Academic Fellowship 2027

The Institute for Law & AI (LawAI) is seeking aspiring legal scholars who intend to go on the US academic job market to produce legal scholarship on the law of transformative artificial intelligence as part of the inaugural Law & AI Academic Fellowship.

Table of Content

• Summary
• Benefits
• Requirements
• Interview Process
• Application Deadline
• How To Apply

Summary

• Application DeadlineJuly 31, 2026
• Study LevelTraining
• SponsorInstitute for Law & AI
• Course to studyLegal Practice
• Eligible CountryAll Countries

Benefits

• The salary for the position is $130,000 per year.

Our benefits include:

• Flexible working hours, with the option to work from our office in Cambridge, UK
• 5 weeks of PTO recommended per year, plus public holidays
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave that can be taken prior to birth or adoption and during the first year, with the option to take additional unpaid leave
• Employer pension or matching 401(k) contribution up to 4% of your salary
• Health insurance for employees residing in countries without nationalized healthcare 
• An annual reimbursement fund of $5,000 for productivity and professional development, which we encourage you to use for travel to academic conferences, workshops and job talks
• An annual reimbursement fund of $5,000 for mental health support
• An annual reimbursement fund of $2,500 for equipment and office supplies
• A friendly, open work culture that encourages feedback and close collaboration, and a team that appreciates the contributions of all team members.

For this position, we will offer an additional $5,000 annual travel reimbursement budget to help fellows attend academic conferences, workshops, and job talks. This is a floor and not a ceiling, and may be increased if needed.

Research Support

LawAI’s expense policy allows employees to expense reasonable research expenditures, including books, journal access, and database access (e.g., Westlaw). All LawAI employees have access to leading generative AI tools.

Requirements

You might be a good fit for this role if you:

• Plan to pursue a career in US legal academia. You understand the basic career path for legal academics in the US, and have the motivation to pursue it.
• Have a combination of strong academic performance and additional experience that make you a strong candidate for future roles in US legal academia. While there is no single path to a career in legal academia, successful candidates are likely to have strong academic performance in law school and some combination of the following: post-law school work experience (e.g., a clerkship, private sector legal practice, public service experience, advocacy or policy work), service on a law review or comparable academic journal, an existing publication record, a concrete research agenda, or additional advanced degrees. That said, we are cognizant that excellent legal scholars may come from various backgrounds, and are committed to holistic evaluation of applicants and inclusion of a broad range of experiences and perspectives. 
• Understand legal scholarship deeply. Whether you have produced published legal scholarship yourself, served as an editor on a law journal, or are simply an avid consumer of law review articles, you have an eye for quality academic work. You can autonomously formulate research questions and deliver excellent written work.
• Write well. While prior publications are not required for this position, applicants should be able to demonstrate an ability to produce excellent written work product.
• Are driven by improving AI law and policy. You are not content with research that is merely theoretical or interesting, instead preferring to deliver actionable insights that judges and policymakers can use to improve human welfare, security, and rule of law.
• Care about seeking truth. You want to carefully evaluate the evidence, including when doing so is inconvenient or complex. You want to convey your level of (un)certainty in your conclusions and reason transparently so that people can identify potential flaws or shortcomings in your analysis. You make recommendations when you believe that they are well-supported and you are comfortable withholding them when they aren’t. You see research as an iterative process that benefits from critique and discussion over time.
• Are self-directed and proactive. You are comfortable setting priorities, identifying promising lines of inquiry, and moving work forward with limited supervision, while knowing when to seek input or alignment.
• Can travel frequently. The LAIAF will be required to travel 2–3 times per year for team retreats and conferences. Fellows will be required to spend at least one month per year (preferably in the summer) working in-person with the LawAI team in either Cambridge, UK, or Washington, DC. In addition, LAIAFs should expect to travel frequently to attend job talks, academic workshops, and conferences as part of their professional development and job application process. LawAI will provide financial support for this (see below).

While these attributes are each important, there’s no such thing as a perfect candidate; we don’t expect a successful hire to excel in all dimensions. If you’re on the fence about applying because you are unsure whether you are qualified, we strongly encourage you to apply.

Selection Process

1. Initial screening call
2. Interview with LawAI staff
3. Interview with possible supervisor(s)
4. Background checks
5. Employment offer

Application Deadline

How To Apply

• Fill out the application form by July 31, 2026.

For more information, kindly visit the LawAI webpage.