A Systematic Review of Law & Technology Master Programs in Selected European Union Universities (pilot research report)

Abstract

This pilot research provides a systematic review of Law & Tech master programs in selected European Union (EU) universities. The systematic multi-stage sampling process completed the list of 38 Law & Tech master programs, offered by 35 leading universities in 11 high-tech EU member states, for extraction and grouping of almost 600 subjects offered in these programs. This analysis exposed the frequency of subject appearance in the sample of programs, followed by the choice of 16 most frequent subjects using the rule of thumb for a hypothetical Law & Tech master program. Moreover, this analysis revealed the need of inquiry into (i) the alternative practices of technology related skills infusion into the law curriculum; and (ii) variables that impact the choices of Law & Tech program’s structure and curriculum. Following these conclusions, universities in the Netherlands were purposively selected for content analysis of their Law & Tech program’s descriptions. Such inquiry enabled categorization of arguments that supports radical inclusion of technology’s domain into law’s curriculum, thus completing the list of key variables for further research on Future of Legal Education.