Paul Weiss Named Five-Year Lead Firm Partner of Columbia Law's AI @ CLS Initiative

Published October 15, 2026

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Why it matters

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison announced on October 14, 2026, a five-year partnership with Columbia Law School that makes the firm the sole lead firm partner for the school's Generative Artificial Intelligence Initiative, known as AI @ CLS. The firm's support will fund new courses and co-curricular programs, including an orientation module that gives students a shared baseline in AI. It will also add faculty research capacity, including a new scholar-in-residence post, and convene scholars, judges, policymakers and industry leaders on regulatory questions. Paul Weiss Chairman Scott A. Barshay framed responsible AI use as central to client service and legal education. Columbia Law Dean Daniel Abebe welcomed the deal as a match for the school's commitment to rigorous training. Columbia named Elliott Ash, a law and computational-methods scholar, as the inaugural Paul, Weiss Distinguished AI Scholar in Residence. His three-year appointment starts in January 2027 and includes teaching three AI-focused courses each year.

The financial terms are not disclosed. The coverage so far relies entirely on announcements from the firm and the school. Law360 covered the deal on October 15, but no independent reporting on the funding amount, governance of the initiative, or how the orientation module will be assessed has been published.

For attorneys, the deal is a signal about where junior-lawyer training is headed. Columbia's Default Policy on Student Use of AI for the 2026–2027 school year leaves AI use in classrooms to faculty discretion, and Paul Weiss is already deploying generative AI across its practice groups with enterprise-grade tools meant to protect client confidentiality. Firms hiring from Columbia should expect new graduates to arrive with a standardized AI foundation, and firms that want to shape that training now have a template. Watch for whether other large firms follow with similar academic sponsorships, and whether the regulatory convenings produce anything an attorney can use.