Technology law has become a strategic priority at Fordham University School of Law, according to Dean Joseph Landau. And one of the ways students are learning about the topic is through a cybersecurity law class — one of 14 new courses introduced this spring.
The class includes labs that integrate instruction on technical subjects such as encrypted data and coding with activities involving real-world legal simulations taught by Professor Aniket Kesari.
“Most big firms now have a privacy and cybersecurity practice area. This is a big growth area, and they’re looking for people with these sorts of skills,” Kesari said.
In a recent lab session, students learned how to use an encryption program to detect when data is hacked or manipulated and then developed a hypothetical company’s breach notification according to state and federal laws.
Having a functional understanding of encrypted data, coding and artificial intelligence can help lawyers navigate the intersection of tech and law.
“If you’re going to be a cybersecurity lawyer, you will be talking to the chief information security officer, the engineers, the product people and the marketing people,” Kesari said. “You need to have some technical knowledge to be able to go back and forth between these various teams, to understand what happened and how to respond.”
While more students are interested in these novel areas of law, few have had any technical training.
“Professor Kesari makes it really accessible for those that don’t have that technical background,” said Julia Davidson, a second year law student, who took the class this past semester. “When we’re dealing with something so technical and also conceptual, being able to test it out, even if it’s on a very simple and basic level, is a completely different learning experience.”
Kesari said in-depth, interdisciplinary lab training on this topic is rarely found at law schools, though it will be key to excelling in this field.
