Patricia SaÌnchez Abril, Interim Dean, University of Miami Law School
Interim Dean of University of Miami Law School Patricia SaÌnchez Abril spoke with Invest: about how the school continues to evolve its programs and course offerings to offer students the most cutting edge education possible to prepare them for the ever-evolving legal legal landscape, particularly in regards to technological advancements and AI developments.
How are you supporting the University of Miami Law School?
I am a Miami native with deep roots in the city and have spent 21 years as a professor, specializing in business law. As the former vice dean of the business school and interim dean of the graduate school, stepping into this role at the School of Law was a no-brainer, given my commitment to legal education and strong ties to Miami’s legal community. This year, our University turns 100 and in 2026, our law school reaches the same amazing historic milestone, so we have much to celebrate.
How do you endorse a student-centered approach to higher education, and how is this further explored specifically within the law school?
The first step is always a focus on listening to our students and diverse stakeholders, including alumni, legal professionals and the judiciary. The key question we ask is how we can better support our students to prepare them for the legal profession. We recognize the unique challenges faced by today’s students. Many current law students entered college during the pandemic era, and some covid-era college students missed early opportunities to practice networking, communication and in-person collaboration skills. The legal profession requires critical thinking, dialogue, and resilience. Artificial intelligence is also disrupting the legal profession and education. In response to the unique needs of this generation’s students, we have implemented multiple strategic initiatives, including increased mentoring and networking opportunities, enhanced academic and career advising, and a new Miami Law and AI Lab. Our school prioritizes personalized learning, so we have reduced our incoming class sizes to reflect this. .This lower student-to-faculty ratio leads to more student support.
How has student demand evolved in recent years, and are there any specific areas of study in which you are observing increased interest?
The past year has seen a surge in law school applications nationally. Some schools experienced a 20% to 30% increase in applicants. There are multiple possible reasons for this. For example, there has historically been more interest in law school during election years. There are also economic factors driving career changes, and there were also recent changes made to the LSAT exam. I can attest to this trend, as the University of Miami Law School admissions numbers have been steadily and impressively rising. Miami’s legal market is growing, and the city’s reputation as an international legal hub is expanding.
How are you adapting to nontraditional students seeking degrees, and are you seeing any specific trends developing among these unique student types?
Last year we launched an innovative online Master’s in Legal Studies program, whereas, previously, we only offered JD and LLM degrees. The new Master’s degree serves non-lawyer professionals who would benefit from a deeper understanding of law and regulation – think banking, healthcare, technology, human resources, compliance, real estate, and so many more. The degree offers education entirely online. Our program is unique in that it provides legal knowledge without requiring a law degree.
How are you partnering with local industries to provide hands-on experience to your students?
Our school is proud to offer nine clinics to provide real-world legal practice to our students. They operate like small faculty-led law firms. Our students are placed into small groups to appear in court, prepare cases and represent clients in a real-world setting. The students are gaining real experience under the guidance and tutelage of our experienced and renowned faculty, and making the difference for clients who would not have otherwise been able to obtain representation.
Our clinics are in specialized practices, ensuring that students have a variety of experiential learning options. Our oldest clinic is Children and Youth Law, which represents children in foster care. We also offer investor rights, health rights, immigration, bankruptcy, environmental justice, and human rights. Our Innocence Clinic just gained an important victory in a high-profile case for a wrongful conviction. We are extremely proud of the work of our clinics.
We also have an externship program which provides hundreds of students with credit through real-world experience with partner companies like general counsel offices and major corporations like Bacardi and MasTec, as well as law firms and in-house counsel legal departments.
How are you adapting to technological innovations in the industry, and how are you preparing students for these evolutions?
Before I stepped into my current leadership role, my own research focus was on the relationship between AI and law, so I can offer a nuanced perspective on this topic. I entered my role with a curiosity and an openness that naturally led to innovation. In the early days of AI, higher education was necessarily focused on academic integrity matters; however, very soon it was critical — in fact, our duty — to focus on shaping and educating students to practice as principled professionals in the world of AI.
The University of Miami has thus taken a proactive approach to technological advancements. We created the Miami Law & AI Lab (MiLa) and an AI practicum in order to train students with the goal of teaching students to use AI ethically, efficiently and creatively. We have ensured a generative feedback loop with the legal industry and the judiciary — collaborations that are necessary to learn and grow in this rapidly-changing environment.
What is your outlook for the law school over the next few years, and what will be your main priorities in the future?
There is widespread excitement for our school’s future as we enter our second century. Our school boasts over 25,000 alumni worldwide, with over half of them still in the Miami region. There is a growing demand for University of Miami-trained lawyers as law firms expand into our region; over 20 national law firms have opened Miami offices in the past two years.
Our key priority moving forward involves ensuring every aspect of student success, and educating principled, creative, agile lawyers at the cutting edge of legal innovation and research.
