AI for Lawyers: Learning and Leading Course

Lesson 1 • What AI Actually Is

Demystify AI by distinguishing it from automation, rules-based software, and human reasoning. Grounds all subsequent tool evaluation in accurate conceptual framing.

Lesson 2 • Types of AI Used in Law

Map the AI landscape to legal use cases: generative, predictive, and analytical systems. Connects abstract AI categories to concrete professional contexts.

Lesson 3 • Reading AI Vendor Claims Critically

Decode marketing language around accuracy, training data, and benchmarks. Equips lawyers to ask the right due-diligence questions before adopting any tool.

Lesson 1 • Prompting for Legal Research

Design prompts that surface relevant doctrine, identify gaps, and organize findings. Directly accelerates the research phase of legal work without sacrificing rigor.

Lesson 2 • Chain-of-Thought and Multi-Step Prompting

Use sequential reasoning prompts to handle complex legal analysis tasks. Builds on basic prompting skills to tackle multi-issue problems systematically.

Lesson 3 • Prompting for Document Drafting

Generate first-draft clauses, agreements, and briefs using structured prompts. Reduces drafting time while maintaining the precision legal documents require.

Lesson 4 • Anatomy of an Effective Prompt

Break down role, context, instruction, format, and constraint components. Establishes a repeatable structure lawyers can apply to any legal AI interaction.

Lesson 1 • Verifying AI-Generated Citations

Apply a systematic citation-checking workflow to catch hallucinated or misquoted sources. Protects professional credibility and satisfies duty-of-competence obligations.

Lesson 2 • AI Research Tools Landscape

Survey AI-native and AI-enhanced legal research platforms and their core capabilities. Provides a baseline for selecting the right tool for each research task.

Lesson 3 • Structuring a Research Query

Translate legal issues into effective AI queries using issue framing and keyword strategy. Directly improves the relevance and completeness of AI research output.

Lesson 4 • Research Workflow Integration

Embed AI research steps into existing matter workflows without disrupting team processes. Ensures AI adoption improves efficiency rather than creating parallel workstreams.

Lesson 1 • Litigation Document Analysis

Apply AI to e-discovery, privilege review, and deposition preparation tasks. Connects document analysis skills to litigation strategy and case-building objectives.

Lesson 2 • Contract Review Automation

Use AI to extract clauses, flag deviations, and compare against standard playbooks. Accelerates contract review cycles while reducing the risk of missed provisions.

Lesson 3 • Quality Control in AI Review

Design sampling, auditing, and escalation protocols for AI-assisted document review. Ensures output quality meets the standard required for client delivery and court submission.

Lesson 4 • Due Diligence at Scale

Coordinate AI-assisted review across large document sets in transactional matters. Builds capacity to handle high-volume diligence without proportional headcount increases.

Lesson 1 • AI-Assisted Contract Drafting

Generate, refine, and negotiate contract language using AI drafting tools. Reduces drafting time and improves clause consistency across a matter portfolio.

Lesson 2 • Brief and Memo Writing with AI

Use AI to structure arguments, draft sections, and sharpen persuasive writing. Connects drafting efficiency to the analytical rigor courts and senior partners expect.

Lesson 3 • Editing and Proofreading with AI

Use AI to catch inconsistencies, defined-term errors, and stylistic issues in legal text. Adds a systematic quality layer before human final review.

Lesson 4 • Client Communication Drafting

Draft client-facing emails, letters, and updates using AI with appropriate tone control. Maintains relationship quality while reducing time spent on routine correspondence.

Lesson 1 • Billing, Fees, and AI Efficiency

Resolve ethical tensions between AI-driven efficiency and hourly billing practices. Guides lawyers toward fee structures that are fair, transparent, and ethically defensible.

Lesson 2 • Unauthorized Practice and AI Tools

Identify scenarios where AI-generated legal content may constitute unauthorized practice. Protects lawyers and firms from regulatory exposure when deploying client-facing AI.

Lesson 3 • Competence in the Age of AI

Interpret the duty of competence to include understanding AI tools used in client matters. Establishes the ethical baseline every lawyer must meet before deploying AI.

Lesson 4 • Candor and Accuracy Obligations

Apply duties of candor to AI-generated citations, arguments, and factual representations. Prevents the professional consequences of submitting unverified AI output to tribunals.

Lesson 1 • Assessing Firm AI Readiness

Evaluate technology infrastructure, data quality, and cultural readiness before AI rollout. Prevents costly implementation failures by diagnosing gaps before committing resources.

Lesson 2 • Change Management for AI Adoption

Design training, communication, and incentive programs that drive lawyer adoption. Addresses the human side of AI implementation, which is the most common failure point.

Lesson 3 • Building an AI Governance Framework

Establish policies, oversight roles, and decision rights for AI use across the firm. Creates the institutional structure needed to scale AI responsibly and consistently.

Lesson 4 • Selecting and Procuring AI Tools

Apply a structured vendor evaluation process covering capability, security, and contract terms. Ensures procurement decisions align with firm strategy and ethical obligations.

Lesson 1 • Client Value and Business Development

Articulate AI-driven value propositions to clients and use AI fluency as a competitive differentiator. Connects technical leadership to tangible business development outcomes.

Lesson 2 • Sustaining a Learning Mindset

Build personal systems for continuous AI learning as the technology evolves rapidly. Ensures leadership relevance is maintained beyond the current generation of tools.

Lesson 3 • The AI-Fluent Lawyer as Leader

Define the leadership behaviors that distinguish AI-fluent lawyers in their organizations. Frames AI literacy as a professional differentiator and leadership responsibility.

Lesson 4 • Mentoring Colleagues on AI

Design peer learning programs, coaching conversations, and knowledge-sharing rituals. Multiplies individual AI expertise across the firm through structured mentorship.