To create bridges between scholars working in law and technology and to enhance educational offerings focused on the nexus of law and new technology, Drexel’s Thomas R. Kline School of Law has created the Center for Law and Transformational Technology. The launch of the center was made possible by a significant grant in the summer of 2021 from the Green Family Foundation. The Foundation invests in organizations that possess capable and courageous leadership, innovative approaches to addressing social problems, and a fierce commitment to making a substantial impact.
“The Green Family Foundation is proud to support this new interdisciplinary initiative at Kline Law and looks forward to following the positive impact it will have in the community,” says Brittany Green ’15, ’18, grants and operations manager at the Foundation. Green received a bachelor of science in criminal justice from Drexel’s College of Arts and Sciences and a juris doctorate from Kline Law.
“We are profoundly grateful for the Green family’s generosity and vision,” says Daniel M. Filler, dean of Kline Law. “New technology has made a dramatic impact on the human experience in everything from markets, to health care, to the way we spend our free time. The center will bring together experts to help promote law and regulation that protects individuals and communities while allowing these advances to flourish. It also will connect legal experts with the researchers who are developing tomorrow’s technology. Our aim in creating the center is to foster a community that is forward-thinking about the implications of innovative technology on the development of technology law.”
The Center for Law and Transformational Technology has a distinct advantage being housed within an R1 research institution (a classification given to fewer than 40 US universities) that includes leading science and technology programs. Led by Jordan L. Fischer, JD ’13, director of the center and assistant teaching professor of law, the center plans to create a collaborative network with colleagues and partners throughout Drexel who have expertise in fields including computing, cybersecurity and other areas related to technology to create opportunities for multidisciplinary research and innovation.
Since graduating from Kline Law, Fischer has established herself as a highly regarded lawyer, accomplished law and technology scholar, and community builder. Fischer’s scholarship, which focuses on data privacy and cybersecurity, explores the convergence of law and technology. She researches the practical implications of regional data protection regulations within a backdrop of the global economy. She has partnered with the Berkeley Laboratory for Usable and Experiential Security at the University of California as well as with faculty in Drexel’s College of Engineering and LeBow College of Business.
New technology has made a dramatic impact on the human experience. Our aim in creating the center is to foster a community that is forward-thinking about the implications of innovative technology on the development of technology law.
“This is an incredibly evolutionary time in the law around privacy, data security and technology,” says Fischer. “Creating a center that supports thought leadership on the role of law in the future of technology is critical. I am excited to help lead this new center and to help drive the collaboration and development of research across a wide variety of technical issues and subjects.”
Kline Law students will benefit from the center both through expanded course offerings and research fellowship opportunities. The center will work to ensure that Kline Law graduates are exceptionally prepared for the diverse areas of practice connected to dramatic technological change. “Our goal is to prepare students for the practice of tomorrow,” adds Dean Filler. “The center will place Kline Law students on the pulse of technological innovation so that they can help guide clients and communities through a dramatic period of change.”
The center will support Kline Law and other departments at Drexel by offering courses focused on a variety of legal and technical topics, including emerging technologies (such as blockchain and artificial intelligence) as well as key legal issues that are already arising in this space, like the relationship between the First Amendment and data privacy.
This story is adapted from an article that originally appeared in the website of Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law.