糖心原创

Top Silicon Valley Professionals Are Training the Next Generation of Tech and AI Lawyers at UC Law SF

At 糖心原创, students aiming for careers in tech don鈥檛 just study statutes and case law鈥攖hey learn from the people who helped shape the legal and business strategies behind some of Silicon Valley鈥檚 most powerful companies.

Ernest Hammond headshot

Ernest Hammond, associate general counsel of AI Product at Meta, shares with UC Law SF students insider perspectives on the legal issues shaping AI and emerging technologies.

From Meta to Microsoft, Google to Apple, more than a dozen instructors at UC Law SF bring first-hand experience from the frontlines of tech and AI into the classroom. They鈥檝e counseled startups and steered legal teams at Fortune 100 companies. Now, they鈥檙e preparing the next generation of lawyers to thrive at the intersection of law, innovation, and technology.

鈥淲e make it a priority to bring in instructors who are doing this work every day at the highest levels,鈥 said Provost & Academic Dean Morris Ratner. 鈥淭heir real-world experience gives our students a front-row seat to the ways lawyers positively contribute to an innovation enterprise, preparing them to step into roles where they can make an impact from day one.鈥

In the classroom, instructors simulate the challenges lawyers face in high-stakes tech environments. Students learn how to draft and negotiate technology transactions, protect intellectual property, ensure compliance with privacy laws that differ by state and nation, and navigate the legal and ethical gray areas in the age of AI.

Ernest Hammond, associate general counsel of AI Product at Meta, co-teaches UC Law SF鈥檚 AI Law course. With experience at Meta, Uber, and Twilio, he helps students think like in-house counsel advising product teams at the most innovative companies.

鈥淭he most critical skill for a tech lawyer is translating product and engineering goals into legal risk narratives that executives can understand and act on,鈥 Hammond said. 鈥淚n our class, students explore how legal risks shift depending on the type of company鈥攚hether it鈥檚 a three-person startup or a hyperscale platform. And we emphasize a crucial habit: always connect the technical 鈥榟ow鈥 to the human 鈥榳ho鈥欌攚ho鈥檚 affected, who鈥檚 accountable, and who should be in the room when key legal decisions are made.鈥

Kelly Cooke headshot

Drawing on over a decade of experience as senior privacy counsel at Google, Kelly Cooke prepares students to apply the law in quickly changing, high-stakes situations.

Kelly Cooke brings a similarly high level of expertise to her U.S. Privacy Law course. After more than a decade as senior privacy counsel at Google, where she worked on Google鈥檚 generative AI products and DeepMind models, she focuses on training students to be agile, strategic thinkers.

鈥淚n tech, product plans can shift rapidly, and lawyers must be ready to reassess and pivot in real time,鈥 Cooke said. 鈥淥ur course teaches students how to apply the law in fast-moving, high-pressure scenarios. Through realistic hypotheticals, they practice delivering clear guidance that helps engineers and executives navigate risk.鈥

This hands-on, insider approach gives UC Law SF students a powerful edge in the job market, preparing them to bring immediate value to companies driving the next wave of innovation.

Below are just a few of UC Law SF鈥檚 experienced tech law instructors, along with their industry backgrounds and the courses they teach.