What Law School Should Teach in the AI Era ft. Patrick Baker

October 13, 2026 Adrian Cea

AI can give you an answer in seconds, but that doesn’t mean it’s the right answer.

In this episode of Between the Briefs, Adrian Cea and Joe Stephens sit down with Patrick Baker, law professor at University of Tennessee at Martin and Founder of Baker Law Firm, for a practical conversation on legal education, AI, critical thinking, law school reform and what it really means to think like a lawyer.

Plus, Patrick’s hottest take: AI is built to please you, and lawyers should remember that shouldn't be the priority.

What You'll Learn:

Why Patrick believes a JD teaches critical thinking beyond traditional legal practice
Why AI can weaken legal thinking when students use it before building the basics
How Patrick separates AI use between introductory and advanced law classes
Why students need tools to verify AI output instead of blindly trusting it
Why real wills, trusts, contracts and court documents help students understand the law
Why IRAC isn’t just a writing structure, but a way lawyers think
How rural practice changes the lawyer’s role in the community
Why law schools may need more regular assessments instead of one final exam for everything
Why AI’s biggest legal danger is that it sounds confident even when it is wrong

AI can help lawyers and students move faster, but only if they already know how to think, question, verify and tell the difference between a useful answer and a dangerous one.

Want to watch this episode of Between the Briefs instead? Get the full video on YouTube.

About the Contributors

Adrian Cea

Adrian Cea is Steno's Social Media Manager, leading content strategy, audience engagement, and digital brand-building across platforms. He also produces and co-hosts Between the Briefs, Steno's podcast covering the intersection of legal technology, court reporting, and the future of litigation. With a background spanning content creation, field marketing, and sales at companies like Sell Better and Chili Piper, Adrian brings a multi-disciplined lens to making complex legal tech topics accessible and engaging.

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Joe Stephens

Joe Stephens, J.D., is Steno's Director of Legal Solutions as well as a Clinical Lecturer at Texas Tech University School of Law. With over 15 years of experience in criminal defense and public service, he founded and led Texas' largest rural public defender office, which serves a 12-county area. A graduate of The University of Texas School of Law (cum laude) and Vanderbilt University (B.A.), Stephens currently serves as a Board Member of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer's Association (TCDLA) and sits on multiple State Bar of Texas committees. His expertise spans the intersection of legal practice and technological innovation in the justice system.

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