Julian Nyarko

Julian Nyarko is Professor of Law at Stanford Law School and Associate Director of Stanford's Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI). He applies computational methods to study contract law, algorithmic fairness, and empirical legal questions. His research develops AI tools for contract analysis and evaluates bias in legal algorithms, with work published in Science Advances, PNAS, and leading law journals.

Professor Nyarko teaches Contracts, Learning from Evidence, and policy practicums on algorithmic decision-making. He directs the Law and Policy Lab, where students tackle real-world problems like pretrial detention bias and philanthropic fund management. His courses emphasize empirical methods and computational approaches to legal analysis.

Current research includes developing benchmarks for legal reasoning in large language models (LegalBench), analyzing racial bias as a multi-stage problem in criminal justice, and studying contractual evolution in M&A agreements. He leads projects on equitable algorithm design and impact investing.

• HAI Hoffman-Yee Grant: Data in the Age of Generative AI (2024)
• Arnold Ventures Grant: Algorithmic Masking in Prosecutorial Decisions (2023)
• NSF Grant: Privacy in Software Systems (2022)