Machine Learning and Law

Eric Talley, Columbia Law School

August 19 – 23, 2024

In the last two decades, legal practice and research have been rapidly transformed by the availability and utilization of quantitative data. This trend should not be surprising, since the field of data science has also been quickly expanding over this same period of time to encompass new techniques and definitions of what data can mean or can be. The goal of this one-week course is to provide an overview of central topics typically implicated by the application of data science to law – one that touches on statistics, econometrics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. Our focus will be on conceptual reasoning and applications, and no mathematical or programming skills are necessary. All the same, students should have an appetite (or at least a tolerance) for confronting concepts that will frequently use computational, statistical, and mathematical inspirations (including several applied examples).

Eric Talley is an expert on the intersection of corporate law, governance, and finance. He also teaches and researches in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, quantitative methods, machine learning, contract and commercial law, alternative investments, game theory, and economic analysis of law. As a co-director of the Ira M. Millstein Center for Global Markets and Corporate Ownership, Talley shapes research and programs focused on the future of corporate governance and performance. Talley is a frequent commentator in the national media, and he speaks regularly to corporate boards, judges, and regulators on issues pertaining to fiduciary duties, governance, and finance. He is the host of the Columbia- based podcast, Beyond “Unprecedented”: The Post Pandemic Economy. Before joining Columbia Law School in 2015, Talley held permanent or visiting appointments at the University of Southern California, Caltech, University of Chicago, Harvard University, Georgetown University, RAND Graduate School, Stanford University, and University of California, Berkeley. In 2017,
Talley was chosen by Columbia Law’s graduating class to receive the Willis L.M. Reese Prize for Excellence in Teaching. He is the immediate past chair of the board of directors of the Society for Empirical Legal Studies and was the co-president of the 2014 Conference on Empirical Legal Studies.

Application

The application deadline ended on March 15, 2024.

Admission and Registration

The Study Center communicates admission decision by the end of April, 2024, and sends participants the corresponding invoice. The registration form will be sent after the Center receives the payment of the course fee.