The Clinic brings in a whole range of experts at the intersection of technology and public policy — practitioners, innovators, legislators — and provides law students with an avenue to contribute meaningfully to actual policy creation. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Professor Covington, and I consistently draw on some of the skills honed in the Clinic in my legal practice.
The Technology Law and Public Policy Clinic (Tech-Law Clinic) operates at the dynamic intersection of public policy, emerging technologies, and digital responsibility. Offering both doctrinal and practical introductions to key areas of technology regulation, the Clinic engages deeply with privacy and data protection, cybersecurity, and AI governance, providing students with cutting-edge insights into some of today's most critical legal and policy challenges.
Historically, Tech-Law Clinic students have significantly shaped technology policy in Washington state. Clinicians drafted legislation leading to the establishment of Washington’s Office of Privacy and Data Security, contributed to the passage of Washington House Bill 1788 (criminalizing non-consensual pornography, or "revenge porn"), and supported Washington House Bill 2970, establishing guidelines for autonomous vehicle policy. Locally, the Clinic has also assisted in amending Seattle’s Surveillance Ordinance, underscoring its deep commitment to meaningful community impact.
Beyond legislative advocacy, students collaborate across disciplines, drawing valuable insights from science and technology studies, computer and information science, human-centered design and engineering, as well as broader perspectives on technology, ethics, policy, and design. Recent Clinic projects have tackled topics including algorithmic discrimination, distributed energy systems, TOR exit nodes, the regulation of 3D printers, and police use of body cameras, reflecting the Clinic's expansive scope and forward-looking approach.
Through the Tech-Law Clinic, students not only learn the intricacies of policymaking but also develop critical skills in stakeholder engagement, interdisciplinary collaboration, policy drafting, and advocacy. The Clinic offers an opportunity to actively influence policymaking processes, equipping students to navigate—and shape—the rapidly evolving landscape of technology law and public policy.
How a Secret Google Geofence Warrant Helped Catch the Capitol Riot Mob (Technology Law & Public Policy Clinic paper cited) (Sep 30, 2021 | Source: Wired)
“It does sound unusual, but it's worth noting that this whole circumstance is unusual,” says Tim O’Brien, a tech industry executive currently working on AI policy at Microsoft, who studied geofence warrants at the University of Washington School of Law. “If I were law enforcement, I would argue that the three-step process is unnecessary in this case, because the moment you set foot inside the Capitol, you became a suspect or witness.”
Students from the Tech-Law Clinic contributed research and analysis to the state’s inaugural AI Task Force report.
The implementation of AI technologies is ever-present, but what underlying worries should users and developers be concerned about? We asked Tech-Law director Jevan Hutson.
The Clinical Law program is pleased to announce three incoming clinic directors: Jevan Hutson for Technology Law and Public Policy, Jeannine Lemker for the Entrepreneurial Law Clinic and Nicole McGrath for the Tribal Court Public Defense Clinic.
A group of students in the Technology Law and Public Policy Clinic spent the school year unraveling the complexities of consumer health data privacy, advocating for the privacy rights of Washingtonians.
Students and faculty in the Tax, Technology Law and Public Policy, and Tribal Court clinics address issues raised by COVID-19.