Institute for Law & AI (LawAI) Academic Fellowship 2026

Published: June 15, 2026
Deadline: July 31, 2026
Category: Fellowship

Applications are currently being accepted for the Institute for Law & AI (LawAI) Academic Fellowship 2026. Interested applicants are encouraged to click here to learn more about this opportunity

About Institute for Law & AI Academic Fellowship

The Institute for Law & AI (LawAI) is seeking aspiring legal scholars who intend to go on the US academic job market to produce legal scholarship on the law of transformative artificial intelligence as part of the inaugural Law & AI Academic Fellowship.

The Law & AI Academic Fellowship is intended as an alternative to university-sponsored Visiting Assistant Professor or law fellow positions for legal scholars wishing to pursue a career in US legal academia. The goal is to prepare fellows for the US legal academic job market by providing them with the time and resources to produce high-quality, impactful academic research as part of a larger academic application package. Fellows should expect to spend the majority of the fellowship researching and writing articles for publication in law journals.

Sponsor Organisation: Institute for Law & AI (LawAI)

Benefits of Institute for Law & AI Academic Fellowship

This is full-time,two-year role. The salary for the position is $130,000 per year.

Our benefits include:

Flexible working hours, with the option to work from our office in Cambridge, UK
5 weeks of PTO recommended per year, plus public holidays
12 weeks of paid parental leave that can be taken prior to birth or adoption and during the first year, with the option to take additional unpaid leave
Employer pension or matching 401(k) contribution up to 4% of your salary
Health insurance for employees residing in countries without nationalized healthcare
An annual reimbursement fund of $5,000 for productivity and professional development, which we encourage you to use for travel to academic conferences, workshops and job talks
An annual reimbursement fund of $5,000 for mental health support
An annual reimbursement fund of $2,500 for equipment and office supplies
A friendly, open work culture that encourages feedback and close collaboration, and a team that appreciates the contributions of all team members.

Institute for Law & AI Academic Fellowship Requirements

You might be a good fit for this role if you:

Plan to pursue a career in US legal academia. You understand the basic career path for legal academics in the US, and have the motivation to pursue it.
Have a combination of strong academic performance and additional experience that make you a strong candidate for future roles in US legal academia. While there is no single path to a career in legal academia, successful candidates are likely to have strong academic performance in law school and some combination of the following: post-law school work experience (e.g., a clerkship, private sector legal practice, public service experience, advocacy or policy work), service on a law review or comparable academic journal, an existing publication record, a concrete research agenda, or additional advanced degrees. That said, we are cognizant that excellent legal scholars may come from various backgrounds, and are committed to holistic evaluation of applicants and inclusion of a broad range of experiences and perspectives.
Understand legal scholarship deeply. Whether you have produced published legal scholarship yourself, served as an editor on a law journal, or are simply an avid consumer of law review articles, you have an eye for quality academic work. You can autonomously formulate research questions and deliver excellent written work.
Write well. While prior publications are not required for this position, applicants should be able to demonstrate an ability to produce excellent written work product.
Are driven by improving AI law and policy. You are not content with research that is merely theoretical or interesting, instead preferring to deliver actionable insights that judges and policymakers can use to improve human welfare, security, and rule of law.
Care about seeking truth. You want to carefully evaluate the evidence, including when doing so is inconvenient or complex. You want to convey your level of (un)certainty in your conclusions and reason transparently so that people can identify potential flaws or shortcomings in your analysis. You make recommendations when you believe that they are well-supported and you are comfortable withholding them when they aren’t. You see research as an iterative process that benefits from critique and discussion over time.
Are self-directed and proactive. You are comfortable setting priorities, identifying promising lines of inquiry, and moving work forward with limited supervision, while knowing when to seek input or alignment.
Can travel frequently. The LAIAF will be required to travel 2–3 times per year for team retreats and conferences. Fellows will be required to spend at least one month per year (preferably in the summer) working in-person with the LawAI team in either Cambridge, UK, or Washington, DC. In addition, LAIAFs should expect to travel frequently to attend job talks, academic workshops, and conferences as part of their professional development and job application process. LawAI will provide financial support for this.

Application Date and Process

If you think you might be a good fit for the role but are unsure whether you should apply, we strongly encourage you to do so. The hiring process looks like this: