Law and Technology
Welcome to the Master Law and Technology at the Erasmus School of Law! Explore how legal knowledge and technology converge in our innovative program and become a tech-savvy legal professional capable of navigating the rapidly digitizing society.
Application deadline
non-EEA
1 July
Application deadline
EEA
1 August
Application deadline
Dutch students
20 August
Starting date
September
Why choose Law and Technology?
Within this master’s program, important issues are addressed, such as: What are the various approaches to regulating technological developments, and to what extent is regulation already in place? Additionally, the influence of major technology companies (Big Tech) on fundamental rights and the sustainable functioning of the democratic rule of law is examined. The master’s programme addresses the question of what limits society can set and what interests are at stake.
Governance and regulation of technology
Law and data
Ethics, technology & the lawyer
AI, democracy, and fundamental rights
Practical & skilled
Visit our Master Open Day!
Get to know Erasmus University Rotterdam during our (fully hybrid) Master Open Day on Saturday 21st of March 2026 from 10:00 to 16:00 (local time) and realise your ambitions! Find out which master programme suits you best, ask all your questions to students, lecturers and alumni or attend practical sessions on making your study choice. Furthermore, explore our multifunctional campus during a campustour and modern metropolis Rotterdam on a bustour!
Programme overview
This master is an innovative challenging master with a shortened academic year. This means that you finish the completion of the academic year, but also that during the year you will have a slightly higher course load than other master’s programs. In addition to the themes listed below, important elements of this master’s program: – Much attention to ethics and reflection, in addition to the role and attitude of the legal professional; – Much attention to practice and contacts with practice; – Throughout the year you will work individually and in groups on the Law&Tech Masterpiece.
Block 1:
- Research Practicum. Theme: Digital platforms as a nexus of legal complexity (legal, socioeconomic, technical)
- Start Law&Tech Masterpiece: Designing and describing a Legal Tech tool for the legal profession. First step in the design process.
Block 2:
- Ethics, technology & the lawyer: Technology & (professional) Ethics: ethics, professional ethics, Tech ethics, wicked problems.
- Law & Data: Examining the way data are handled in current law from the perspective of data processing and sharing practices. Data protection and rights to data are addressed.
- Continuation Law&Tech Masterpiece:
- Reflection on the courses for the master project
- Continuation of the design process for the master project
Block 3:
- Governance and regulation of technologyÂ
Governance and Regulation of Digital Technologies is (as the name of the course indicates) about the governance and regulation of digital technology. Examples of digital technologies that are considered in this course are: artificial intelligence and digital tools that are used in legal professions or that have legal relevance. We will cover a selection of legislation that may be relevant for digital technologies. In this course, two main questions related to governance of digital technology are addressed: 1) why should digital technology be regulated? and 2) how is digital technology regulated? - AI, democracy and fundamental rights Fundamental rights: We first explain human rights in general terms as well as the technical aspects of how AI technology relates to human rights. Subsequently, we address the interaction between AI technology and human rights by focusing on specific realms (e.g., discrimination, health, environment). While doing this, we make sure to incorporate a discussion on all the different generations of human rights – i.e., civil-political; socio-economic; third and fourth generation. Lastly, we discuss the possible interference of AI technology with the classical distribution of power and the organization of the institutions in a democratic society.
- Continuation Law&Tech Masterpiece:
- Reflection on the courses for the master project
- Continuation of the design process for the master project
- Start legal essay trajectory
Blok 4:
- Elective: 1 course from other elective courses offered in the master’s programme of the the faculty
- Continuation Law&Tech Masterpiece:
- Further theoretical aspects of Legal Tech
- Finalizing of legal essay
Blok 5:
- Completion Law&Tech Masterpiece: Technical, ethical and legal specifications of a Legal Tech Tool.
On the Programme overview you can read more in depth information about the specific courses.
Our focus areas include:
- Governance and regulation of technology: Here, you immerse yourself in the legal framework of digital technology, including key issues of regulation such as market regulation, software contracts, and liability.
- Law and data: You gain insight into the legal aspects of data processing, with a focus on data sharing and an emphasis on the protection of personal data.
- Ethics, technology & the lawyer: You are introduced to ethical dilemmas posed by technology and Legal Tech, including the protection of personal integrity as a legal professional.
- AI, democracy, and fundamental rights: You develop a framework to understand, critically assess, and manage the impact of technology on democratic processes and fundamental rights.
- Practical & skilled: Through activities like the Law&Tech Masterpiece you gain an understanding of the workings of basic digital technologies and develop skills to effectively contribute to the development and implementation of Legal Tech applications. You collaborate with contacts from the legal practice to design solutions to their needs using design thinking principles.
Throughout the entire year, you will work both individually and in groups on the Law&Tech Masterpiece, a unique trajectory within existing legal master’s programmes. This masterpiece consists of three components, namely the legal essay, the development of a Legal Tech tool, and the connection with the legally substantive courses, allowing you to constantly engage in concrete projects and practical experience.
The first (individual) component involves writing a legal essay at master’s level on a technology-related topic.
In the second component, you will work on developing a Legal Tech tool for a real-world problem. You will go through several design thinking design steps as a group, culminating in a description of the tool’s design. In this description, you will provide specifications of the legal, ethical, and technical requirements applicable to your tool. In this component, you will also address the reliability of the tool from the perspective of cyber and data security.
The third component aims to connect the substantive courses in the curriculum to the design of the tool. You will individually describe the crucial insights that must be incorporated from the various courses into the design of the tool.
The Law&Tech Masterpiece concludes with a presentation of the design to a jury, representing as many stakeholders for whom the design is intended as possible.
Take a look at the general information page for this program.
Studying in Rotterdam
Rotterdam is a city full of surprises. Without tips from a Rotterdam native, it’s hard to find the best spots. We will help you on your way. Read more about student city Rotterdam, see tips for finding the nicest study spots on campus and which student associations there are to enrich your student life.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below we answer some recurring questions. Is your question not listed here? Then please contact us!
- For questions about the program, please contact the master’s coordinator at [email protected]
- For all admission related questions, please contact Andre van der Schee at [email protected]
You will find all the relevant information about admission to this programme on our admission page.
The future career landscape for the tech-savvy legal professional, post-completion of the Master Law and Technology encompasses a wide array of possibilities.
Some examples of potential career path include:
- Attorney and legal service provider for online markets and services.
- Specialist in information law and intellectual property.
- Policy advisor for digitization at government agencies at various levels.
- GDPR expert and data protection officer both in public and private organizations
- Developer of Legal Technology.
- Advisor in the field of Legal Tech within law firms.
- Legal expert in Legal Innovation.
- In-house counsel at technology companies.
- Legal specialist at the Dutch Data Protection Authority (DPA).
- Auditor for algorithms at government agencies.
- Researcher in the field of law, ethics, and technology.
- Tech legislation officer.
The exact tuition fees that apply to your situation can be found on the facts and figures page.
You will find the instructions on applying on this programme’s application page.