UND Law Professor Carolyn V. Williams Honored for Scholarship, Elected to Third Term as LWI Treasurer
Williams Highlights AI, Legal Writing, and the Future of Legal Education at 2026 LWI Conference
University of North Dakota School of Law Professor Carolyn V. Williams presented twice at the 2026 Legal Writing Institute (LWI) Biennial Conference, where she also received the Teresa Godwin Phelps Award for Scholarship in Legal Communication and was elected to a third term as Treasurer of the organization.
Williams’s first presentation, “Writing With AI, Writing About AI: The Dual Role of LRW Scholarship,” joined fellow legal writing scholars in examining the role generative artificial intelligence can play both in producing legal scholarship and as a subject of scholarly inquiry. Williams argued that scholars should be encouraged to use generative AI when it can assist with time-consuming aspects of the writing process, while emphasizing that scholars must remain responsible for the substantive expertise, analysis, judgment, and ideas underlying their work. She also addressed the distinction between citing AI as an authoritative source and acknowledging its use as a tool in the scholarly process.
The second half of Williams’s presentation focused on emerging scholarship concerning AI and legal education. She encouraged legal writing scholars to consider how their existing areas of expertise intersect with the challenges AI is creating for legal education and practice.
Williams also served as moderator for a work-in-progress presentation of Professor Richard Luedeman, “The AI Dilemma in Legal Education.” Her comments explored the intersection of generative AI, law-school assessment, and disability accommodations, building on questions raised in her own scholarship about how law professors should redesign assessments in response to AI and the NextGen bar exam.
During the conference, Williams was presented with the 2025 Teresa Godwin Phelps Award for Scholarship in Legal Communication for her article, “Bracing for Impact: Revising Legal Writing Assessments Ahead of the Collision of Generative AI and the NextGen Bar Exam.” Presented by LWI, the national award recognizes outstanding scholarship that significantly advances the field of legal communication. Williams’s article examines the simultaneous changes brought about by generative AI and the NextGen bar exam and argues that law schools should rethink traditional legal writing assessments to better prepare students for modern legal practice.
Williams was also elected to a third term as Treasurer of the Legal Writing Institute. LWI is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving legal communication by supporting the development of teaching and scholarly resources and providing forums for discussion of the study, teaching, and practice of professional legal writing. With members from law schools throughout the United States and abroad, LWI is one of the largest organizations of legal academics in the country.
