Bench & Bar March/April 2025

VOLUNTEER JUDGES:

Abby Schueler Emily Shepherd Bruce Singleton Denotra Spruill-Gunther Jim Thomerson

Laken Albrink Kimberly Baird Joseph Bowman Jamila Carter Wayne Collier Ryan Cook Harry Dadds William Davis Cory Dodds Dave Emerson

Mary Beth Forester Al Grasch Marian Hayden Cael Henshaw

Arnetta McClary John McNeill Nolan McWilliams David Newton James Noll Kevin Palley Yesel Rodriguez David Royce Paul Salamanca Gracie Sandlin

Cary Howard Dana Howard Ellen Kennedy Kara Legg Brandon Lira William Mann

Judge Wilson Macy Young

VOLUNTEER BAILIFFS: Robbie Desper Toby Giganti John Lambert Tina Ly

Jodon Sargent Benjamin Scott Kilian Southworth Garrett Tice Genevieve White

MaKayla Harris Fatime Kerelaj Michael Kern

Brynne McKinsey Kody Lynn Morgan Lauren Repa

#UKLawProfResearch Highlight Professor Michael D. Murray's latest work on artificial intelligence and the law is "Visual Legal Rhetoric in the Age of Generative AI and Deep fakes: Renaissance or Dark Ages?," that will be published in Volume 28 of the SMU Science & Technology Law Review (forthcoming, 2025). The article discusses the paradoxical development of visual generative AI tools, such as OpenAI’s DALL-E 3, Midjourney, and Stable Dif fusion, that simultaneously signal a renaissance and a potential dark age in visual rhetoric and communication. These tools democratize the creation of visual content, empowering attorneys and others to become artists and illustrators of their legal communications without needing to learn how to draw. But on the other hand, deepfakes can quickly and easily create realistic but false images, videos, and audio that exploit celebrities, distort facts, and facilitate various crimes. The negative implications of deepfakes include their association with fraud, misinformation, and emotional harm. This technological advancement undermines the credibility of genuine news photography and other highly representational media as the public, attorneys, and judges strug gle to distinguish real from fabricated content and begin to discount all visual media. The challenge lies in using the tools effectively while maintaining the verisimilitude and integrity of representational visual media, which traditionally relies on its status as an unembellished depiction of reality to achieve its rhetorical and communicative goals. The article suggests best practices for using generative AI responsibly and concludes by emphasizing the need for vigilance in working with manipulated visuals and detecting the possible deceptions of the works of others to preserve the power of visuals in legal rhetoric. READ THE ARTICLE AT https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=4883390

“YOU ALL WORKED HARD TO GET HERE, AND THAT'S OBVI OUS,” said UK Rosenberg Law Professor Laken Albrink, who volun teered as a justice, to the final round competitors. “GREAT JOB ALL AROUND.” The top eight teams advanced from Lexington to the final round tourna ment of the AMCA’s national series. “If you choose to go into the profes sion, the profession will be better off with you,” said Fayette District Judge Denotra Spruill Gunther, who also served as a justice for the final round. UK Rosenberg Law Alumnus Bruce Singleton, a volunteer justice, and his wife, Pegi, of Somerset donated robes this year for the justices who served in the final round. “YOU ALL DID A TERRIFIC JOB,” UK Rosenberg Law Acting Dean Paul E. Salamanca, who served as chief jus tice in the final round, told the final four competitors. He reminded the students that oral arguments are a conversation between them and the bench and offered advice about how to prepare for oral arguments.

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