April G Dawson
April Dawson is the inaugural associate dean of technology and innovation and a professor of law at North Carolina Central University School of Law (NCCU Law), where she leads the NCCU Technology Law and Policy Center (TLPC). Under her leadership, TLPC launched the Law and Technology Certificate Program, significantly expanding opportunities for law students in the technology space. She oversees a $1 million annual budget from Intel, facilitates career development in legal technology, and fosters engagement through the NCCU Law Alumni Technology Network. Dawson currently teaches Artificial Intelligence and the Law, AI Governance, AI and Legal Reasoning, Legal Technology, Equity and Leadership, and other courses that explore the role of emerging technologies in law. Dawson has previously taught Constitutional Law, Torts, Administrative Law, Supreme Court Seminar, and Legal Writing.
A thought leader at the intersection of law and technology, Dawson is the author of Artificial Intelligence and Academic Integrity (Aspen, 2023) and co-author of the forthcoming AI & Legal Reasoning (Aspen, 2025). She is also the co-founder of the AI and Law-Related Course Professor Group, which includes almost 300 professors who collaborate and share insights, best practices, and resources. Dawson also co-chairs the NCCU AI Working Group.
Dawson’s career began in computer science, earning her undergraduate degree from Bennett College and working as a computer programmer before transitioning to law. She earned her J.D., cum laude, from Howard University School of Law in 1994, where she served as technical editor of the Howard Law Journal and competed on the National Moot Court Team. She began her legal career through the Attorney General’s Honors Program at the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Division, where she litigated cases before the Fifth, Seventh, and Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeals. She later clerked for the Honorable Emmet G. Sullivan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before practicing law in both private and public sectors, including employment litigation and appellate advocacy.
Dawson holds multiple leadership roles in the legal and technology fields. She serves on the ABA Center for Innovation Governing Council, the ABA Science and Technology Law Section’s Law School and Interdisciplinary Education Outreach Committee, and the ABA Center for Professional Responsibility Working Group on Regulatory Reform. She is also chair of the North Carolina Bar Association’s Future of Law Committee, a board member of Legal Aid of North Carolina, Inc., and an appointee to the North Carolina Governor’s Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice.
Beyond her academic and professional commitments, Dawson is an active public intellectual and media commentator. She frequently speaks on AI governance, legal ethics, and the future of law, and has appeared on platforms such as PBS NC, IBM’s Smart Talks podcast, and ABA Journal interviews. She also co-hosts the Legal Eagle Review radio show on WNCU 90.7 FM, where she and her colleague Irving Joyner engage in weekly discussions on legal and social justice issues at local, state, and national levels.