Fordham Law ACTech Challenge

The Fordham Law ACtech Challenge is a new cross-disciplinary simulation competition on law, technology, and governance, developed in partnership with the Atlantic Council. It is designed to prepare future lawyers to confront the kinds of legal and institutional problems that advanced technologies—especially AI—are creating across the public and private sectors.

At Fordham, participation in the Challenge is tied to a mandatory two-credit, year-long course, as is the case with other competition teams.

Why apply

Students selected for the Challenge will have the opportunity to:

  • develop a rigorous understanding of the legal frameworks governing AI and other emerging technologies;
  • gain a deeper and more sophisticated understanding of the technologies themselves and the ways they create legal, policy, social, and operational problems;
  • learn, through simulation, how lawyers advise clients—including companies, nonprofits, and government actors—when emerging technology creates high-stakes, fast-moving problems;
  • strengthen the ability to analyze difficult questions under conditions of uncertainty and incomplete information;
  • practice integrating legal analysis with technical, policy, strategic, and communications considerations;
  • build the judgment needed to develop practical recommendations for institutional decision-makers; and
  • work on problems that reflect the kinds of challenges professionals increasingly face in real practice.

What makes the experience valuable

The Fordham Law ACtech Challenge is not simply an academic exercise. It is designed to simulate the real-world environments in which lawyers and other professionals must respond to emerging AI problems as they unfold.

Students will:

  • work through evolving scenarios that require legal, technical, and institutional analysis;
  • cultivate, in hands-on fashion, the skills lawyers need to advise effectively in this field;
  • receive coaching from leading experts across disciplines;
  • be evaluated by professionals working at the forefront of law and technology; and
  • gain significant networking opportunities with practitioners from across the field.

Are you a Fordham Law student interested in joining Fordham's Law & Tech Competition Team? Visit this webpage for more information, including how to apply.