Warwick Law School News

Current student Noor Syed (LLB 3 year) has received the ‘Honorary Private Law Submission Prize’ for his article on the challenges posed by artificial intelligence and algorithmic contracting to the common law of contract.

The journal is divided into public law and private law submissions, which are reviewed by either former or current Justices of the UK Supreme Court. Prizes are then awarded to selected articles. Noor received his award from Lord Dyson, former Justice of the UK Supreme Court and former Master of the Rolls. The prize was sponsored by the barrister chambers, Serle Court. On winning the prize, he shared: “I am deeply honoured to have received this award from the Rt. Hon. Lord Dyson, whose distinguished career and contribution to the law make this recognition especially meaningful.”

The article, titled ‘Does AI Warrant Doctrinal Reform? Algorithmic Contracts and the Resilience of Common Law’ was published in the 15th edition of the Oxford University Undergraduate Law Journal (OUULJ), the UK’s oldest undergraduate law journal.

It argues that existing doctrinal tools remain sufficiently flexible to accommodate emerging forms of algorithmic contracting, and that courts are likely to continue treating artificial intelligence as embedded within existing legal structures rather than as requiring fundamentally new legal categories or rules. Noor explains:

“The article contributes to an increasingly well-established body of legal scholarship which argues that, although artificial intelligence presents significant doctrinal challenges, the need for wholesale doctrinal reform is often overstated.”

As he prepares to graduate later this month, he told us:

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Warwick Law School and remain deeply grateful to all the professors and academic staff who have equipped us with the skills to view the law contextually and remain cognisant of how it operates in the real world."

Congratulations Noor, from everyone at Warwick Law School.