Comenius prize for Margreet Luth-Morgan: critical legal education in a changing world

When is a lawyer shaped? From the very first day of their law degree, students learn how the law works: positive law, as it is called – existing legislation, case law, and its application. That knowledge forms one side of the coin. Within and beyond the legal world, awareness is growing that this foundation is greatly enriched by the ability to reflect on ethical issues and on the functioning of law in practice. Does it work as intended? For whom does it work – and for whom does it not?

This critical reflection on law and the rule of law is at the heart of the Comenius project that Luth-Morgan will develop over the next two and a half years at Erasmus School of Law. The €100,000 Comenius grant enables her not only to design but also to implement and refine innovations in education. “That is unique,” she says. “We really have the space to experiment.”

A prize with impact

The Comenius Programme supports education professionals with innovative ideas for vocational, applied, and academic higher education. The Senior Fellow grant is intended for experienced lecturers in higher education who seek to improve their teaching structurally, directly benefitting students.

The award means more than recognition alone. “It gives us the opportunity to think fundamentally about the future of legal education,” says Luth-Morgan. “How do we prepare students for a world in which AI, sustainability, and socio-economic inequality will change the work of the lawyer?”

From assessment to debate

The project, entitled Societal Impact: Preparing Lawyers for Their Social Responsibility in an Uncertain Future, focuses on the undergraduate years. The aim is to create more space within the substantive curriculum for reflection on the lawyer’s societal role, linking this to themes such as sustainability, technology, and socio-economic inequality. Crucially, this reflection will not remain optional. “We must also assess it,” Luth-Morgan explains, “but in a way that is AI-proof.”

An example is the Oral Skills Week, taking place in December 2025 during the third undergraduate year. Three courses – Public International Law, Legal Philosophy, and Legal Academic Skills – will collaborate. Students will practise pleading in moot courts, take part in graded debates, and use their research skills to analyse debate propositions from multiple perspectives. “It is about the ability to stand up and tell your story – essential for every lawyer,” says Luth-Morgan. “What makes this so special is that three courses have aligned their teaching. This way, we build on each other both substantively and didactically.”

Another part of the project is the debate AI & Law: The Lawyer of the Future, taking place on 3 October. Luth-Morgan: “We want to engage in dialogue about how we prepare students for a world in which AI is a fundamental part of legal work. A ban on the use of AI in education, as recently suggested in NRC, is to my mind neither realistic nor desirable.”

No progress without experimentation

In her teaching practice, Luth-Morgan has long been engaged in innovation. In Ars Aequi she wrote about assessment forms that prevent ChatGPT-related fraud while also inviting critical reflection. “Authentic assessment makes the difference,” she says. “And experimentation is part of that.”

She has previously experimented with innovative assessment formats, such as podcasts as an alternative assignment in ethics education. In this, students produced their own podcast episode in which they explored and explained ethical dilemmas – a form that not only fosters creativity and reflection but is also AI-resilient, thanks to the on-campus podcast studio.

The Comenius grant gives her the time and resources to expand and scale up such experiments, in collaboration with colleagues but also with students. “They see things we cannot yet imagine. We want to involve them actively in designing new teaching and assessment formats.”

A legal philosopher with a vision for the future

Luth-Morgan obtained her doctorate at the University of Oxford, works as a legal philosopher and ethicist, and is Vice-Chair of the Examination Board. “Ethics is my foundation,” she explains. “Whether it is about AI, sustainability, or assessment: it always comes down to the question of what choices we make, and why.”

With the Comenius Prize, Luth-Morgan gains the opportunity to develop education in which students not only acquire a solid understanding of the law, but also learn to reflect on its societal impact – fully in line with the vision of Erasmus School of Law to study law in its social and economic context. “We want to educate critical, resilient lawyers who are aware that law is shaped by societal choices – and that they themselves will soon be in a position to influence those choices.”