THE IMPACT OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ON THE TRANSFORMATION OF LEGAL EDUCATION: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS AND STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS

Abstract

Modern legal practice is undergoing a fundamental transformation under the influence of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, which automate routine tasks, enhance analytics, and create new models for delivering legal services. This technological revolution generates an acute gap between the labor market's demands for lawyer competencies and the outdated approaches to their training within traditional educational systems. This problem is particularly relevant for Ukraine, where the modernization processes in legal education fail to keep pace with global technological changes. This creates a risk of non-competitiveness for domestic specialists and hinders the country's digital transformation. The inertia of the educational system in response to AI challenges can lead to the training of lawyers whose skills are already partially irrelevant upon graduation, which necessitates immediate scientific reflection and the development of effective reform strategies.The purpose of this article is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the impact of artificial intelligence on legal education, to carry out a comparative study of its transformation strategies in the USA, European countries, and Ukraine, and to develop a scientifically grounded, adapted model for modernizing the lawyer training system in Ukraine that meets current technological requirements.To achieve this purpose, a complex of general scientific and special cognitive methods was employed. The comparative legal method was used to contrast the models of legal education reform in the USA, Europe, and Ukraine. The formal-logical method allowed for the analysis of legal acts and strategic documents regulating educational activities. System analysis helped to view legal education as a complex system interconnected with the labor market and the technological environment. The synthesis method was used to generalize the obtained data and formulate a cohesive hybrid reform model. Institutional analysis was applied to study the role of professional associations (ABA), supranational bodies (Council of Europe), and state institutions in the transformation process.As a result, the study revealed that two main models of legal education transformation have emerged globally in response to AI challenges. The first is the American, market-oriented model, characterized by the rapid implementation of practical courses in Legal Tech, computational law, and entrepreneurship in leading universities with active support from professional associations. The second is the European, regulation-oriented model, where the emphasis is on developing ethical and legal frameworks for AI use, which is reflected in educational programs aimed at training lawyers capable of working under new, complex technological regulations. The analysis of the situation in Ukraine revealed a significant lag: key strategic documents on legal education reform were developed before the generative AI «boom» and do not contain specific provisions for technology integration. Initiatives are sporadic, «bottom-up,» and not part of a systemic state policy.In conclusion, simply copying Western models is ineffective for Ukraine. Instead, a hybrid, forward-looking model for transforming legal education is proposed, consisting of two components: 1) The introduction of a mandatory core module, «Digital Legal Literacy,» for junior students, covering the basics of Legal Tech, AI ethics, digital evidence, and cybersecurity. 2) The creation of flexible interdisciplinary certificate programs for senior students in partnership with universities, IT clusters, and law firms, focused on specific market needs («AI for Public Administration», «Legal Tech for Litigation»). This model will enable theprovision of a mass basic level of technological competence and flexibly train specialized professionals, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of Ukrainian lawyers.