AI in the Courtroom: Sarah Lanier on Judgment, Ethics, and the Future of Legal Work

In this episode of The Smarter Campus Podcast, Zach sits down with Sarah Lanier, a trial attorney at the Lanier Law Firm, to explore how artificial intelligence is changing legal research, trial preparation, professional judgment, and the skills young lawyers will need moving forward.Sarah shares how she has used AI in surprisingly practical ways—from simulating jury selection to accelerating massive document reviews—and why those use cases work best when AI is treated as an ideation and synthesis partner rather than the final decision-maker. The conversation also digs into the legal risks of hallucinated citations, unverified quotes, and over-reliance on generated content.A central theme throughout the episode is the growing value of original human thought. Sarah explains that AI can generate options, organize evidence, and speed up preparation, but it cannot stand before a judge, exercise real professional judgment, or take responsibility for an argument. For legal educators and institutional leaders, the episode makes a strong case for teaching AI proficiency and ethics together.The conversation ultimately offers a practical framework for responsible adoption: experiment actively, build clear review protocols, preserve independent thinking, and prepare students to use AI without surrendering the human judgment that defines the profession.