Drexel University’s Thomas R. Kline School of Law (Kline Law) is pleased to announce the creation of the Center for Law and Transformational Technology (the Center). The Center is being supported through a startup grant from the Green Family Foundation, and the primary goals of the Center are to create bridges between scholars working in law and technology to enhance educational offerings focused on the nexus of law and new technology.
“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,” said Daniel M. Filler, dean of Kline Law. “The Center 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 will also have a distinct advantage being housed within Drexel University, an internationally recognized R1 research institution and one of the leading science and technology universities in the world. The Center leadership plans to create a collaborative network with colleagues and partners throughout Drexel who have expertise in fields like computing, cybersecurity and other areas related to technology to create opportunities for multidisciplinary research and innovation.
Professor Jordan L. Fischer, JD ’13, will be the director of the Center. 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 as well as with faculty in Drexel’s School of Engineering and LeBow College of Business.
“This is an incredibly evolutionary time in the law around privacy, data security, and technology. And, creating a Center that supports thought-leadership on the role of law in the future of technology is critical at this time,” said Fischer. “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,” said 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, as well as other departments at Drexel University, 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.