AALS has launched a series that will highlight a different member school and focus on a recent program or accomplishment in order to showcase the rich variety of approaches to legal education that makes up the American legal academy. A list of past highlights is available below.

Member School Highlight –

Michigan State University College of Law

Location: East Lansing, Michigan
Founded: 1891
Joined AALS: AALS Charter Member
Dean: Michael Sant’Ambrogio

Michigan State University College of Law is a public legal institution that prepares the next generation of Spartan lawyers through a rigorous, student-centered legal education grounded in scholarship, experiential learning, public service, and professional excellence. As part of a leading global research university, MSU Law offers students distinctive opportunities to work across disciplines, learn from nationally recognized faculty, and develop practical skills through clinics, externships, competition teams, and innovative academic programs. MSU Law’s collaborative community and broad alumni network equip graduates to lead and serve in Michigan, across the nation, and around the world.

Entrance to the Michigan State University campus, which houses its different colleges, including Michigan State University College of Law.

Michigan State University College of Law launched its interdisciplinary Health and Life Sciences Law program in August 2026 to examine how law and ethics should guide the use of technology in health care and the life sciences.

Led by Mason Marks, M.D., J.D., an MSU Research Foundation Distinguished Professor of Law, the program brings together students, faculty, practitioners, and policymakers to address rapidly developing legal and policy questions. The program’s first major project, AI in Public Health Governance, will study the responsible use of artificial intelligence in areas ranging from FDA review of drugs and medical devices and CDC disease surveillance to health care administration and government decision-making. The program will also continue innovative work on regulating emerging mental health treatments.

Drawing on expertise from across Michigan State University, the program connects the College of Law with the Colleges of Human Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Engineering and Business, as well as the MSU Ethics Institute, the Kelley Institute of Ethics and the Legal Profession, and the Center for Bioethics and Social Justice. Students will work alongside faculty and practitioners on research and policy projects while engaging with leaders in health care, government, and industry. Through this interdisciplinary model, MSU Law aims to advance innovation while protecting transparency, privacy, fairness, and the public interest.

“Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming healthcare and government,” said Michael Sant’Ambrogio, Dean of Michigan State University College of Law. The legal, ethical, and policy questions surrounding that transformation are becoming increasingly important. Through HLS Law, MSU will be at the forefront of AI and health law, hosting national leaders in this area and providing opportunities for campus-wide collaboration among faculty and students.”