Mcity, U-M Law School co-launch digital legal journal focused on mobility
Journal part of new U-M project to promote research, education, and scholarship at the intersection of law and mobility transformation
DETROIT—The University of Michigan Law School and U-M’s Mcity, in close collaboration with Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and the Michigan Council on Future Mobility, launched a new Law and Mobility Project to promote research, education, and scholarship focused on the intersection of law and mobility transformation. The Project serves as a collaborative legal solutions incubator, engaging thought leaders from the state of Michigan and beyond, and focuses on activities relating to connected and automated vehicles and mobility transformation more generally.
The U-M Law and Mobility Project will include the Michigan Journal of Law and Mobility, a new digital platform tracking research, scholarship, and leading developments at the intersection of mobility transformation and law, including short essays and academic pieces, as well as analysis of legislative, regulatory, and technological developments.
“The State of Michigan and the University of Michigan lead the world in research and the deployment of technological advances in vehicle connectivity and automation,” said Mark West, University of Michigan Law School Dean and Nippon Life Professor of Law. “We look forward to collaborating with other law schools and legal experts to build the leading public resource dedicated to the complex legal issues that arise from transition towards intelligent, automated, and connected mobility systems and future mobility concepts.”
“The scope of our research and collaboration at Mcity goes beyond technology,” said Mcity Deputy Director Carrie Morton, referring to the U-M-led public-private partnership working to advance connected and automated vehicles. “We draw from the expertise of faculty and researchers across the U-M community, and we look forward to using this new platform to share the important work that Michigan Law and Mcity are doing together.”
The Michigan Journal of Law and Mobility Co-Editors-In-Chief are U-M’s Fredrick Paul Furth, Sr. Professor of Law Daniel A. Crane and University of South Carolina Assistant Professor of Law and Engineering Bryant Walker Smith—a well-know expert on the law of driverless vehicles. The editorial board also includes: Mcity’s Morton; Steven Croley, partner at Latham & Watkins; Emily Frascaroli, counsel at Ford Motor Company; Kyle D. Logue, the U-M Douglas A. Kahn Collegiate Professor of Law; Ellen Partridge, senior fellow at the Environmental Law & Policy Center; Bryce Pilz, director of licensing in the U-M Office Technology Transfer; and Anuj Pradhan, a researcher at the U-M Transportation Research Institute.
In addition to the Journal, the U-M Law and Mobility Project encompasses a speaker series focused on timely topics in law and mobility transformation and an annual conference co-organized with Mcity. In addition, the Project serves as a resource for classes in the Law School’s Problem Solving Initiative, which brings together transdisciplinary teams of graduate students with industry experts to explore solutions to the challenges presented by mobility transformation, such as preparing for a mixed fleet future, the coordination of business and regulatory issues, and how to address the data that is collected by autonomous vehicle networks.