2 answers
Joy
Student
Port Harcourt, RV
3
Questions
Updated
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How do I get into AI and Technology Law as a niche career ?
How do I get into AI and Technology Law as a niche career?
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2 answers
Rafael Diaz Montelongo
Consultant
563
Answers
Raleigh, North Carolina
Updated
Rafael’s Answer
Hi Joy! AI and Technology Law is a rapidly growing and interesting field. To get started, it's helpful to develop a mix of legal and tech skills. You don’t need to be a software engineer, but understanding the basics of AI, machine learning, and data systems can give you an advantage over those with only legal expertise. For example, taking courses on AI ethics, data privacy regulations like GDPR or cybersecurity fundamentals can be beneficial. Also, keep up with legal journals, follow developments such as the EU AI Act, and engage with tech policy communities. Writing about your insights on LinkedIn or a blog can help establish your presence in the field. Internships or volunteer work with organizations focused on digital rights, fintech regulation, or intellectual property in tech are also valuable. Since the field is still evolving, there’s plenty of opportunity to contribute and shape its direction, so focus on building relevant knowledge and experience. Best of luck!
This was super helpful, thank you!
Joy
I truly appreciate your answer, could you please recommend any internship on the niche that I can start with?
Joy
GDPR is a great place to start! Thank you for mentioning that I didn't even think of it!
Liam Rielly
Liam Rielly
Data Center Technician
192
Answers
Manassas, Virginia
Updated
Liam’s Answer
This is a great question! I wish I was 25 years younger in 2026 because I would completely go this route if I could!
You have identified something that is an active problem in tech and Intellectual Property (IP) law. Right now everything is a grey area when it comes to Artificial Intelligence (AI) using Large Language Models (LLMs) and IP law. There are no active laws defining what IP can be used to train an LLM and how that can be used to support an AI service. This is the wild west right now and its going to be people like yourself that are going to make the decisions in the end that will shape how IP will be used in training LLMs in the future!
So to define this niche: you will be an IP lawyer that is specialized in software engineering.
IP law is a great field, I am not a lawyer, I don't work in law, but I have been to the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) a few times and know a couple of people who work there. Alexandria VA is filled with small law offices dedicated to IP law and as far as I know is kind of the center of that field.
The two things that would place you in a high position there would be an engineering degree AND a law degree. This is a major task as either is a difficult field in itself (a whole career by itself!) and you will need skills from both. This will take years of time, lots of money, and dedication. You can do this but it takes dedication. This is the highest tier of this field.
If you wanted to go this route and not have the highest qualifications possible, think about a law degree and maybe a BS in software engineering. This would be an academic approach to the field, but again it is not solidly defined right now. The lawyers defending patents for large tech companies have a background similar to this, you would understand coding as well as copyright law which are both fields that have a lot of attention to detail and technical knowledge requirements.
You could get a law degree and just be technically proficient. A path to this would be coding as a hobby, contributing to open source, prompt engineering (which you will have to know no matter what in this field) and basic IT. This might be more difficult to prove you know the field but it would have you part of the conversation and allow you to work your way into the role.
Starting now, and even if you decide you don't want this path, start reading up about technology and ethics. Just asking this question means you already have an awareness of the two and again you have found a job that will make money and you can shape your career starting today! Read up about cybernetics, read about laws and ethics in a general sense, read publications by IEEE like IEEE Spectrum that publish frequently about ethics and technology, read legal journals, read frequently making sure its text and not just online or apps. Learn how to take notes. Learn how to manage large amounts of information for yourself. Build a home lab and get an LLM running in your closet for fun (its easier than you think!). This career is niche and requires active participation in the area in order to be a person that is part of the conversation. This work is collaborative, information evolves, laws change, the LLMs will be different in the future. This career path will not be A --> B --> C --> job and there may need to be times you shift and change the path to best suit where you want to end up or actually end up.
Read IEEE Spectrum.
Read Thomas Rid books, learn who he is.
Read Harvard Law Review, Yale Law Journal, and other law journals regularly.
Read technical publications consistently even if you don't understand them, use LLMs to help summarize them as needed.
Work on your prompt library, learn who Daniel Miessler is and pay attention to everything he says and does.
You have identified something that is an active problem in tech and Intellectual Property (IP) law. Right now everything is a grey area when it comes to Artificial Intelligence (AI) using Large Language Models (LLMs) and IP law. There are no active laws defining what IP can be used to train an LLM and how that can be used to support an AI service. This is the wild west right now and its going to be people like yourself that are going to make the decisions in the end that will shape how IP will be used in training LLMs in the future!
So to define this niche: you will be an IP lawyer that is specialized in software engineering.
IP law is a great field, I am not a lawyer, I don't work in law, but I have been to the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) a few times and know a couple of people who work there. Alexandria VA is filled with small law offices dedicated to IP law and as far as I know is kind of the center of that field.
The two things that would place you in a high position there would be an engineering degree AND a law degree. This is a major task as either is a difficult field in itself (a whole career by itself!) and you will need skills from both. This will take years of time, lots of money, and dedication. You can do this but it takes dedication. This is the highest tier of this field.
If you wanted to go this route and not have the highest qualifications possible, think about a law degree and maybe a BS in software engineering. This would be an academic approach to the field, but again it is not solidly defined right now. The lawyers defending patents for large tech companies have a background similar to this, you would understand coding as well as copyright law which are both fields that have a lot of attention to detail and technical knowledge requirements.
You could get a law degree and just be technically proficient. A path to this would be coding as a hobby, contributing to open source, prompt engineering (which you will have to know no matter what in this field) and basic IT. This might be more difficult to prove you know the field but it would have you part of the conversation and allow you to work your way into the role.
Starting now, and even if you decide you don't want this path, start reading up about technology and ethics. Just asking this question means you already have an awareness of the two and again you have found a job that will make money and you can shape your career starting today! Read up about cybernetics, read about laws and ethics in a general sense, read publications by IEEE like IEEE Spectrum that publish frequently about ethics and technology, read legal journals, read frequently making sure its text and not just online or apps. Learn how to take notes. Learn how to manage large amounts of information for yourself. Build a home lab and get an LLM running in your closet for fun (its easier than you think!). This career is niche and requires active participation in the area in order to be a person that is part of the conversation. This work is collaborative, information evolves, laws change, the LLMs will be different in the future. This career path will not be A --> B --> C --> job and there may need to be times you shift and change the path to best suit where you want to end up or actually end up.
Liam recommends the following next steps:
You can't tell how happy I am with this answer, sorry my thank you is coming late, but seriously Mr. Liam, thanks your answer was clear and simple, thanks so much for sharing and for helping me with my career journey.💜
Joy