Vanderbilt Law School adds AI deposition simulator for students

Vanderbilt Law School is partnering with AltaClaro to bring the AI-powered DepoSim platform to students starting in fall 2026, making Vanderbilt the first law school to use the tool in legal education. The rollout expands Vanderbilt’s AI Law Lab and gives students hands-on deposition practice in class, the law library and clinical courses.

Why it matters: - Vanderbilt Law School is trying to close the gap between classroom learning and day-one legal practice. - The partnership gives students exposure to AI tools and deposition practice that employers increasingly expect. - The rollout could help shape how law schools teach litigation skills as AI becomes more common in legal training.

What happened: - Vanderbilt Law School partnered with AltaClaro to bring DepoSim to students beginning in the Fall 2026 semester. - DepoSim is an AI-powered deposition simulation platform built with Verbit. - Vanderbilt will integrate DepoSim into its AI Law Lab initiative. - Vanderbilt is the first law school to offer DepoSim in legal education. - Students will be able to use the platform through the Legal Practice Technology course, other clinical courses and independent access through the Vanderbilt Law Library.

The details: - DepoSim lets students question witnesses with different personas and respond to real-time objections from opposing counsel personas. - The platform is designed to mimic the unpredictability of actual litigation. - Students receive immediate, rubric-based feedback after each simulation. - Feedback covers questioning strategy, technique, professionalism, responsiveness and overall performance. - Vanderbilt says the platform gives students a safe and repeatable way to practice deposition skills. - Students in Legal Practice Technology and Law Firm Practice Simulation courses will use DepoSim through instructor demonstrations, collaborative exercises and hands-on simulations. - Every Vanderbilt Law student will have independent access through the Law Library, including students not enrolled in litigation-focused courses. - Current simulations cover commercial litigation, employment law, intellectual property, antitrust, securities, mass torts and expert witness depositions. - AltaClaro plans to add simulations for trial practice, oral arguments, discovery, client interviews and negotiation scenarios later this year. - AltaClaro says the expanding library will help students build practical skills across multiple legal disciplines. - AltaClaro says more than 25 Am Law firms, including Orrick, Taft, Litter and Brownstein, have adopted DepoSim since its release in February.

Between the lines: - Vanderbilt is positioning AI not just as a research or productivity tool, but as part of skills training. - The school is signaling that legal fluency now includes comfort with emerging technology, not just doctrinal knowledge. - AltaClaro is using the Vanderbilt partnership to deepen its presence in legal education after building traction with law firms. - The move reflects a broader shift in legal education toward simulation-based learning that can be repeated and scaled without relying on live role players.

What's next: - Vanderbilt students will begin using DepoSim in fall 2026. - AltaClaro plans to broaden the platform’s exercise library later this year. - The partnership may offer a model for other law schools looking to add AI-driven practice tools to their curricula.

The bottom line: - Vanderbilt is becoming the first law school to embed an AI deposition simulator into legal training, betting that practice-ready and tech-ready graduates will be more competitive in the job market.