Amy Beth Cyphert
Associate Professor of Law, West Virginia University College of Law
Written by Kitty Lindsay
Photo by Andrew Marvin.
Growing up in Morgantown, WV, Amy Beth Cyphert has always held an unconventional perspective on her professional future.
“ As a child, I wanted to be either the first female president of the U. S. or a makeup artist,” she says.“ My mom helpfully pointed out that I could do both if I was the president and did my own makeup for events.”
Though she did not become president or pursue a career in the makeup industry, Cyphert did forge her own unique path, first by triple-majoring in English, creative writing and professional writing at Carnegie Mellon University. Then, she attended Harvard Law School and, after graduating cum laude in 2005, landed a clerkship for the Honorable Laura Taylor Swain in the Southern District of New York. Two years later, she joined WilmerHale— a large-scale legal practice in the city— specializing in complex commercial litigation as well as First Amendment pro bono matters.
When she decided to exit her senior litigation associate position at the high-powered Manhattan law firm and take a job at West Virginia University( WVU) Honors College, plenty of people around her were perplexed, but Cyphert remained steadfast.
“ I was leaving a Park Avenue law firm to come back to West Virginia and take a job as a program coordinator,” says Cyphert.“ But I was confident I could always pivot if the job was not the right one.”
Looking back, Cyphert recognizes her unusual choice as a great teachable moment in trusting herself and her own instincts. At WVU, she eventually became director
of the ASPIRE Office, where she helped students who were applying for nationally competitive scholarships and fellowships. During that time, she also served as an adjunct professor at the law school. A joint appointment with the law school soon followed, and in 2024, she stepped into the role of full-time associate professor.
For Cyphert, a self-proclaimed nerd who genuinely enjoys school, becoming a law professor was a dream come true.
“ When I was in law school, I remember really enjoying attending lectures across campus,” she says.“ I also really enjoyed those moments when a legal doctrine would‘ click’ and I would feel like I was really starting to understand the law.”
One of those moments occured via one of her instructors in law school who was a technology law expert. Her time in their class sparked a deep and enthusiastic interest in the field and today much of Cyphert’ s law practice focuses on the intriguing intersection of artificial intelligence( AI) and law.
“ I have been studying machine learning and AI systems since 2018,” says Cyphert.“ I find emerging technologies fascinating and am always interested in how they do or do not map onto existing legal doctrines.”
Cyphert’ s latest research examines generative AI, including how it is reshaping legal practice and the copyright issues it raises. She has also published work on technology regulation and the use of algorithms in criminal justice decision-making.
Her husband’ s shared passion in all things high-tech only feeds her scholarship.
“ My husband, who is so generous with his technical expertise, has always been a very large influence on my research. He is a cybersecurity researcher and a brilliant technical expert, and I enjoy having in-depth conversations with him about the field,” says Cyphert.“ You can imagine how boring our three children find this.”
Cyphert considers herself blessed by the work she does, which spans developing and teaching courses like AI and the Law and Regulating AI, writing law review articles
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