TITLE:
Interdisciplinary Integration of Legal Education and Cultivation of Application-Oriented Rule of Law Talents in the Age of AI
AUTHORS:
Junyan Chen
KEYWORDS:
AI Era, Legal Education, Interdisciplinary Integration, Applied Rule-of-Law Talents, Educational Reform
JOURNAL NAME:
Beijing Law Review,
Vol.16 No.4,
December
12,
2025
ABSTRACT: Embedded in the framework of traditional legal education, the interdisciplinary integration model for legal studies places excessive emphasis on the transmission of theoretical knowledge, while failing to effectively integrate legal practice, interdisciplinary synergy, and emerging technological elements characteristic of the AI era. Such a limitation gives rise to outdated pedagogical concepts, stagnant content innovation, and inadequate practicality in teaching methodologies—issues that hinder efforts to meet the contemporary demand for integrating instruction with training to cultivate application-oriented rule-of-law talents. Drawing on a case study of five universities at the forefront of interdisciplinary legal education reform, this paper proposes targeted optimization strategies: to advance the comprehensive deepening of legal education reform and promote interdisciplinary integration in the AI era, it is imperative to adhere to the pedagogical principles of “innovation, integration, collaboration, and sharing.” Guided by societal demands, this approach should broaden the functional scope of interdisciplinary integration in legal education, facilitate the organic interdisciplinary integration between legal studies and other digital-related disciplines, establish a collaborative dual-mentor guidance mechanism, and develop an intelligent cloud-based legal education teaching platform. Such measures will enhance both the intrinsic value and extended implications of interdisciplinary integration in legal education, nurturing students’ diverse and holistic competencies. Additionally, organizing practical experience lectures, on-site observations, court hearings, and other extracurricular activities can guide students to engage in real-world practice and hands-on training, thereby invigorating the inherent vitality of interdisciplinary integration in legal education. Ultimately, deepening reforms in interdisciplinary integration will drive the development of application-oriented rule-of-law talents and foster interdisciplinary compound legal professionals with robust practical capabilities.