Because law often keeps pace with the constant evolution of technology, the study of the interaction of law with science and technology is now more important than ever. The school`s science and technology offerings are grouped into four often overlapping groups: intellectual property law, health law, internet law, and technology and civil liberties. A student may want to explore the field widely by taking courses in a number of these areas. Alternatively, a student can focus deeply on a specific area through courses, seminars, clinics, and experiences outside the classroom. Deliberative democracy can lead to more legitimate, credible and trustworthy outcomes. Deliberative democracy allows for “a wider range of public knowledge,” and it has been argued that this can lead to “smarter and more socially sound” science. A major shortcoming of deliberative democracy is that many models do not adequately guarantee critical interaction. [38] A lively topic of debate in the field of law, science and technology is whether the law should apply scientific standards and methods of evidence or apply its standards to scientific evidence. One example is the concept of statistical significance, where standard scientific convention states that an outcome is considered statistically significant if the probability of the result being observed at random alone is less than five percent. Legal experts argue that the law should apply a more flexible standard in civil cases where the standard of proof prevails. Although there are a few companies specializing in science and technology, there are very few science and technology lawyers. Instead, there are patent attorneys, free speech lawyers, consumer protection lawyers, white-collar crime lawyers, and media lawyers, all knowledgeable about how science and technology affect their area of law.

The law also seeks to resolve the ethical implications of technology on society resulting from modern inventions. Society relies heavily on legislators and courts to develop and enforce appropriate legal principles. The law attempts to resolve moral issues in a socially acceptable manner. In various cases, courts have taken their authority into account when ruling on the ethical aspects of controversial technological developments. Even when courts exclude ethical considerations, they often remain the main cause of litigation in court on social law grounds. Stanford`s Law, Science, and Technology program combines Stanford Law School`s resources, including renowned experts, alumni at the forefront of technology law, enthusiastic, technologically savvy students, and a campus in the heart of Silicon Valley, to answer many questions that arise from the increasingly important role science and technology play in our economy and our economy. world culture. The program draws on expertise inside and outside the Stanford Law School community, with courses taught by visiting scholars, professors from other academic departments, lawyers, executives, and academics. The programme provides a small, close-knit community for intellectually engaged study of law and policy with a focus on science and technology, including a regular lecture series featuring leading academics and practitioners in the field. Stanford law students are an integral part of the program and lead four technology-focused student organizations at Stanford: the Stanford Law and Technology Association, the Stanford Technology Law Review, the Stanford BioLaw and Health Policy Society, and the Stanford Journal of Law, Science and Policy.

In the 1970s and 1980s, non-major universities in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe began to merge these various components into new interdisciplinary programs. For example, Cornell University developed a new program in the 1970s that brought together science and policy-oriented researchers with historians and philosophers of science and technology. Each of these programs has developed unique identities due to variations in the components that have been brought together, as well as their position within different universities. For example, the University of Virginia`s STS program has brought together scientists from various fields (with particular strength in the history of technology); However, the program`s teaching responsibilities – it is located in an engineering school and teaches ethics to engineering students – mean that all professors have a strong interest in engineering ethics. [5] However, it is important for the court to understand scientific methods when deciding cases involving science and technology. In Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that courts must ensure that scientific testimony must have scientific methods and procedures derived from scientific methods. In modern society, science and technology are developing rapidly. One example of such a development is Moore`s Law, which predicts that the number of transistors on microchips will double every two years.

Law, on the other hand, is less dynamic in nature, as it must go through a technical legal process in order to keep pace with scientific developments. Laws can easily become obsolete, and jurisprudence is also slow to adapt to scientific and technological developments due to the binding effect of previous precedents. Therefore, this leads to the law being based on outdated scientific assumptions or not adapting to the latest scientific and technological knowledge. It is important that the law adapt to advances in science and technology and incorporate adaptable legal systems to keep pace with science and technology. All LLM students in Law, Science and Technology will participate in a weekly colloquium led by the lecturer for the Law, Science and Technology program. The colloquium includes an overview and discussion of selected topics in law, science and technology, presentations of research results and articles by visiting professors and researchers, as well as external speakers, often practicing lawyers. Students are also encouraged to attend other seminars and lectures on campus that are relevant to the topics covered at the required colloquium. The Law, Science, and Technology degree program aims to help students make the most of Harvard`s unparalleled resources in the field and create a community of students and faculty interested in the intersections of law and technology.

The program sponsors in-depth lectures and study groups, organizes events for faculty and students to answer questions about career opportunities, provides guidance on the plethora of opportunities in the field at Harvard, and organizes social events for students and faculty associated with the program.