Stanford Law School

10/16/2026

10/16/2026

Some of the biggest questions of our time will take center stage at Stanford Law School this Sunday and Monday, Oct. 18-19.

The 2026 Marshall Forum on Artificial Intelligence is bringing together leading voices from law, technology, business, journalism, and government for two days of thought-provoking discussions about how AI is reshaping innovation, law, and global security.

Speakers include New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, along with five Stanford Law leaders:
💡Dean George Triantis
💡Professor Nate Persily
💡Professor Julian Nyarko
💡Professor David Freeman Engstrom
💡Megan Ma, executive director of liftlab.

The conference is free and open to the public.

View the program and register:

2026 marshall forum on aiOctober 18-19, 2026 | Bay Area, CA The Marshall FORUM ON AI View Full Program Sunday, October 18, 20261:00 PM - 4:00 PM Lunch and Sessions | Stanford Paul Brest Hall6:30 PM - 9:30 PM Tour, Reception, & Dinner | Legion of Honor Museum, San Francisco Monday, October 19, 20269...

10/15/2026

The Senate’s new bipartisan infrastructure permitting reform bill gets some important things right, according to Professor David J. Hayes, a former White House climate policy adviser and Deputy Secretary of the Interior under Presidents Obama and Clinton. But it also misses key opportunities—and some proposed changes could create more problems than they solve, he says.

In his latest post for Stanford Law’s faculty blog, Legal Aggregate, Hayes takes a close look at the legislation, identifying promising reforms and critical omissions.

Read his analysis:

Shortly before a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators released their bipartisan infrastructure permitting reform legislation—the Bipartisan American Af

10/14/2026

Why does the United States rely on ordinary citizens and their lawyers to enforce regulatory law?

TOMORROW, October 15 at 5pm PDT, the Neukom Center and Hoover’s Center for Revitalizing American Institutions will host “How Americans Enforce the Law,” celebrating a new book by Neukom Center Faculty Director and Professor Diego Zambrano.

The book offers the first comprehensive account of an enforcement system built on more than 10,000 private rights of action embedded in regulatory statutes. Professor Eugene Volokh will serve as discussant.

RSVP: https://brnw.ch/21x6oWl

10/12/2026

Register for The Future of the Legal and Medical Professions Symposium, Oct. 26

Law and medicine have long been distinct professions, but they are increasingly confronting the same fundamental questions:

⚖️ How will AI change expert work, and how should institutions adapt?
⚕️ How can the professions ensure access to essential services for those who cannot afford them?
💡 How can the professions maintain public trust and confidence?

Stanford Law School and Stanford Medicine are bringing together leaders and thinkers from across both fields for a full-day symposium to examine what the professions can learn from one another as they navigate this period of rapid change.

Learn more and register: https://brnw.ch/21x6lvi

10/09/2026

On Oct. 15, from 5-6 p.m. PDT, the Neukom Center for the Rule of Law and Hoover’s Center for Revitalizing American Institutions will celebrate Professor Diego Zambrano's new book, “How Americans Enforce the Law.”

Unlike most democracies, which rely on government agencies for regulatory enforcement, the United States empowers ordinary citizens and their lawyers to enforce the law through more than 10,000 private rights of action embedded in regulatory statutes.

Zambrano, the Neukom Center’s faculty director, examines how this distinctive system developed and its implications for the rule of law and democracy. Professor Eugene Volokh will serve as discussant.

RSVP: https://brnw.ch/21x6ihD

10/08/2026

Register for The Future of the Legal and Medical Professions Symposium, Oct. 26

Law and medicine are navigating new technologies, shifting markets, and an evolving policy landscape reshaping the future of practice.

This full-day symposium brings together leaders, scholars, and practitioners from Stanford, peer institutions, and industry to discuss the state of the sister professions and strategies that will be essential to prepare for the decade ahead.

Join us on October 26, 2026, to explore the future of work and professional education, the growing role of technology, challenges to public trust and access, and what the legal and medical professions may look like in 2036.

Register: https://brnw.ch/21x6gxK

10/07/2026

What happens when legal expertise meets artificial intelligence?
In a recent 60 Minutes segment, Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP highlighted its work with Stanford Law School’s liftlab to develop an internal AI tool built around the knowledge and judgment of senior lawyers.

The tool does not replace attorneys. It helps lawyers prepare more effectively by offering feedback informed by the approaches, preferences and experience of Vorys partners. For trial lawyer Kim Herlihy, that can mean reviewing a draft opening statement and receiving feedback from an AI persona trained on her own professional insights.

As Herlihy noted, AI will not walk into a courtroom to deliver an opening statement. But it can provide another tool to help lawyers prepare for the work only people can do: counsel clients, exercise judgment and advocate before judges and juries.

Watch the full 60 Minutes segment: https://brnw.ch/21x6eL3
Visit liftlab's website: https://brnw.ch/21x6eL4

10/06/2026

What does political freedom have to do with AI safety?

On Thursday, Oct. 8, from 5 to 6 p.m. PDT, the Rule of Law Speaker Series will feature “AI and Political Freedom,” a discussion with Matthew Botvinick, Anthropic’s lead on AI and the Rule of Law.

Botvinick will examine why AI safety depends on the political freedom democracy secures — and how AI could place unprecedented pressure on democratic institutions.

The event is co-sponsored by the Neukom Center for the Rule of Law and the Stanford Law AI Initiative. His book, “AI and Political Freedom,” will be available for purchase at the event.
https://brnw.ch/21x6cJD

10/05/2026

Permitting reform need not come at the expense of environmental protection or public participation.

In a new essay, Professor Deborah A. Sivas, JD ’87, co-director of the Environmental Law Clinic, examines federal permitting legislation and California’s Proposition 45. She argues that both measures would make sweeping changes to cornerstone environmental laws, including NEPA and CEQA, while narrowing opportunities for communities to seek judicial review.

The path to faster, more equitable infrastructure and housing development, she writes, requires evidence-based reforms that build trust, transparency and shared benefits — not broad rollbacks of environmental safeguards.

Read the essay: https://brnw.ch/21x6bhp

The “Abundance” agenda took a major step forward last week when four U.S. Senators introduced the “Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Ac