New Data Analytics Course Offered
Seton Hall University School of Law launched a new course this spring focused on the trending subject of Data Analytics. The unique course material examines how statistics and data can be used in real-world
legal practice. In addition to learning basic statistical techniques, empirical analysis,
and overcoming challenges with using data, the course introduces law school students
“to various ways in which the use of data is changing the practice of law, including
government investigations, corporate transactions, and document discovery and production.”
Avi Muller ’21 explains why the course is especially relevant today – “Our world is
increasingly dependent on data—from determining consumer trends to tracking health
concerns to isolating and identifying criminal activity. Yet there are so much data
that many people, including lawyers, struggle to make sense of it all. My hope is
that this course will hone my ability to parse and organize data, push me to meaningfully
question datasets that present themselves as simple answers to complex problems, and
overall make me a more thoughtful and perceptive student and future lawyer.”
Leading the course is Professor Jacob Elberg, a former Assistant United States Attorney. As Chief of the District of New Jersey’s
Health Care & Government Fraud Unit, Professor Elberg launched a Data Mining Working
Group and spearheaded the Office’s efforts to utilize data analytics to identify,
investigate, and prosecute health care offenses. Professor Elberg has taken that experience
into the classroom, where he teaches sampling, regression, and the importance of being
able to both construct and critically analyze data-based arguments.
“Professor Elberg relates statistical concepts to how they can be used effectively
in law practice,” explains Mikayla Berliner ’21. “These practical skills will be useful
in meetings with partners, in the courtroom, and beyond.”
The class aims to prepare students to practice law in a rapidly changing world, to
work in policy, or simply to be more engaged consumers of news and information. Given
how data is changing legal practice, it is important that even math-phobic students
not be intimidated. And for those who are prepared, technological developments create
an opportunity for Seton Hall lawyers to distinguish themselves and benefit their
clients.
“There is a great deal of data out there on almost every topic imaginable,” says Anish
Patel ’21. “On the one hand, that’s concerning, because people can use data to mislead
others. On the other, data presents an opportunity to understand so much more about
how the world works. This course finds the right balance between the two. As lawyers,
we should be ready to work with data, to understand it, to use it, and to know when
others misuse it.”