AI for professionals
AI for Lawyers and Legal Teams: Research, Drafting and Contract Review, Safely
Use AI in legal work without risking a client or a filing: research, drafting, contract review and catching fake citations.
AI for Lawyers and Legal Teams: Research, Drafting and Contract Review, Safely is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for lawyers, law students, paralegals and in-house legal teams. It has 9 modules and takes about 7.8 hours, with written notes, a practice task per module, a practical project and a final assessment of 15 questions (pass mark 60%). Learning costs nothing and needs only a free account. The optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code, is a one-off US$23.99 for you; it is not a vendor credential. Updated 1 November 2026.
- Free
- Beginner
- 7.8 hours
- Self-paced
- Certificate optional
- Lab practice in your browser
No card, no trial. The course is free for good. Certificate US$23.99, optional.
- Who it is for
- Lawyers, law students, paralegals and in-house legal teams
- Jobs
- Roles that use this skill: analyst, operations specialist, project coordinator and team lead using AI tools. No course guarantees a job.
- Tools
- A free account on one general AI assistant, and Microsoft Word for the contract review lessons. Nothing else to install. Never paste a client's confidential material into a public tool. Hardware: any computer with a browser.
- Updated
After this course you can
By the end you will be able to:
- Vet a legal AI tool on its data terms
- Write anonymised prompts and keep a prompt library
- Review a contract against a playbook and escalate the right clauses
- Verify every citation before it reaches a court
- Protect confidentiality and privilege when using AI
Who it is for, and what you need first
Who it is for
Lawyers, law students, paralegals and in-house legal teams.
Level: Beginner. Beginner. For advocates, in-house counsel, paralegals, law firm managers and final-year law students. No coding and no technical background.
What you need
Software: A free account on one general AI assistant, and Microsoft Word for the contract review lessons. Nothing else to install. Never paste a client's confidential material into a public tool..
Hardware: Any computer with a browser.. What to download, and how.
How this course works
Watch the lessons
Short video lessons, one module at a time, at your own pace.
Read the notes
Open the Reading tab for the written notes and diagrams of the module.
Practise in the 3D labOptional
Try the module in the free 3D lab, in your browser.
Check yourself
Answer the questions to see what stuck before you move on.
Final assessment
Pass the final once you have been through the modules.
Certificate, if you want oneOptional
Optional, with a page anyone can use to verify it.
What you learn
9 modules in order, at your own pace. 7.8 hours of video lessons, with written notes and a practice task in each module.
- 1AI in legal practice: what changed, and how to vet a tool12m
- 2Where a law firm should actually start30m
- 3Prompts, a prompt library and the everyday tools, with lab practice: 27m
- 4Twenty AI use cases for lawyers52m
- 5Contract review, redlines and playbooks with AI30m
- 6Hallucinations and fake citations, with lab practice: 30m
- 7Confidentiality, privilege and professional responsibility, with lab practice: 50m
- 8AI, the courts and the law in India53m
Show the other 1 modules
- 9Final Assessment6m
Software you need
What to download, where from, what it costs and how to install it. Every link goes to the maker's own site, never a mirror.
Never paste a client's confidential material into a public AI tool.
Show what to download (5 tools)
Required
- 01Free web version with limits
Microsoft Word
Microsoft
- Runs on
- Word for the web in any modern browser; desktop apps for Windows and macOS with a Microsoft 365 subscription
- Account
- A free Microsoft account
Word for the web is free with a Microsoft account. The desktop app comes with a paid Microsoft 365 subscription, which offers a free trial, and fuller Copilot features need an eligible paid plan.
Steps
- 1.Open the Word page on microsoft.com and select Sign up for free, or Sign in.
- 2.Create or sign in to your Microsoft account.
- 3.Open Word for the web and start a blank document or a template.
- 4.Save to OneDrive, or download a .docx copy.
- 5.If a lesson needs a desktop-only feature, consider the Microsoft 365 free trial.
- Word for the web covers everyday writing, styles, tables and comments.
Official download pagemicrosoft.comAlternatives
- LibreOffice Writer: Free desktop word processor that opens and saves .docx.
- Google Docs: Free browser word processor with a Google Account.
One AI assistant
Any one is enough.
- 02Free plan with limits
ChatGPT
OpenAI, in the browser
- Runs on
- Any modern web browser, plus mobile and desktop apps
- Account
- A free OpenAI account
The Free plan allows everyday text chats. File uploads, image creation, voice and data analysis have tighter limits than paid plans, and ads may appear in some countries. Paid plans raise the limits.
Steps
- 1.Open chatgpt.com.
- 2.Click Sign up and create an account with your email, or a Google, Microsoft or Apple account.
- 3.Verify your email and confirm your details.
- 4.Type your question in the message box.
- Do not paste personal data, passwords or confidential work files.
- ChatGPT tells you when you reach a limit. Wait for it to reset or switch to a lighter task.
Open ChatGPTchatgpt.com - 03Free plan with limits
Claude
Anthropic, in the browser
- Runs on
- Any modern web browser, plus desktop and mobile apps
- Account
- A free Claude account (you must be 18 or over)
The Free plan covers chat on web, desktop and mobile, web search, file creation and Artifacts. Usage limits reset on a rolling five-hour window and depend on message length and features used. Paid plans give more usage.
Steps
- 1.Open claude.ai (or see the plans at claude.com/pricing).
- 2.Sign up with your email or Google account and confirm your email.
- 3.Confirm you are 18 or over and accept the terms.
- 4.Type your question in the message box.
- Long conversations and large files use up your limit faster. Start a new chat for a new topic.
- Do not paste personal data or confidential work files.
Open Claudeclaude.com - 04Free with limits
Google Gemini
Google, in the browser
- Runs on
- Any modern web browser, plus Android and iOS apps
- Account
- A free Google account
Free with a Google account, including a Flash model, limited access to the Pro model, image generation, Deep Research and Gems. Paid Google AI plans give higher limits. Some features require you to be 18 or over.
Steps
- 1.Open gemini.google.com.
- 2.Sign in with your Google account.
- 3.Accept the terms the first time you use it.
- 4.Type your question or upload a file in the prompt box.
- Use a personal Google account. Work or school accounts depend on your administrator's settings.
Open Google Geminigemini.google.com - 05Free
Microsoft Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat
Microsoft, in the browser
- Runs on
- Any modern web browser, plus Windows, macOS, Android and iOS apps
- Account
- None needed
Microsoft Copilot is free for individuals; you must be at least 13 (older in some countries). Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat is included at no extra cost for organisations with an eligible Microsoft 365 licence and needs a work or school (Microsoft Entra ID) account.
Steps
- 1.Open copilot.microsoft.com.
- 2.Optionally click Sign in and use your personal Microsoft account.
- 3.Type your question in the message box.
- 4.For work or school use, sign in at microsoft365.com with your organisation account and open Copilot Chat.
- Copilot Chat with a work or school account adds enterprise data protection. Use it for work material if your organisation provides it.
Open Microsoft Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot Chatcopilot.microsoft.com
Checked against each maker's own page on 27 September 2026. Trial lengths and editions change; the maker's page is the final word.
Practise in the 3D lab
Practise the safe habits of legal AI use in the AI Workbench: structured prompts, answers that cite the right section or refuse, and removing client data.
- Prompt to specAI Workbench, about 25 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Prompt to spec
- Answers with sourcesAI Workbench, about 25 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Answers with sources
- Privacy firstAI Workbench, about 25 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Privacy first
Optional. Skip it whenever you like: it never blocks your progress or your certificate.
Course project, about 8 hours
Introducing AI for contract review at a commercial law firm: a procedure, an NDA playbook, a risk register and a pilot report
Plan and evaluate AI-assisted contract review at a mid-sized commercial law firm, as the partner responsible. Write the firm's AI use procedure and an NDA review playbook a tool can check against. Set out the risk register, then report a pilot from a log of twelve NDAs. The sample pack shows each document for a commercial practice. No real client material is used at any point.
- 4documents in the pack
- 5steps to follow
- 4things to hand in
- 8 hof work, at your pace
- ProcedureMensah Lindqvist LLP: use of AI tools in legal work
- RegisterNDA review playbook (disclosing party side)
- Risk registerRisk register: AI-assisted contract review pilot
- ReportPilot report: AI-assisted NDA review, weeks 1 to 6
The project is optional practice. The certificate needs only the modules and the final assessment.
After the course, your next step
Show what you can do, then keep going in the same field.
A certificate you can verify
Finish the modules and pass the final assessment (15 questions, pass mark 60%) and you can add a certificate with a public verification page. One-off, US$23.99 for you. It is not a vendor credential.
Want a free certificate? Do the matching Free internship: 4 weeks, nothing to buy, with a free certificate of completion.
AI for Project Management
Eight short weeks of using AI for charters, schedules, risks, minutes and status reports, and of knowing where its estimates fall short: notes, diagrams, a few videos and worked exercises. Finish weeks 1 to 4 and the final, then claim a free Internship Completion Certificate with your real dates and study hours, and a QR code anyone can scan to verify it. Training, not employment.
See the internshipMore free courses
Roles that use this skill
- Analyst
- Operations specialist
- Project coordinator
- Team lead using AI tools
These are the kinds of roles where the skill is used. We make no promise of a job or an interview.
Plain notes
- Free: the whole course, the notes, the practice tasks, the final assessment and support from practising engineers.
- Paid, and optional: the course certificate, and the Engineer-verified internship (the Free internship costs nothing).
- No job promise: the course teaches a skill. It does not place you in a job.
- Lessons by: Lawyerist.com, Law Insider (by SimpleDocs), Clio, NPTEL-NOC IITM, KanoonPlus (Adv Ravi Kumar). Independent creators; the lessons stream from their own channels. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, practice tasks and assessments.
Lawyerist.com · Law Insider (by SimpleDocs) · Clio · NPTEL-NOC IITM · KanoonPlus (Adv Ravi Kumar). If you are one of these creators and want a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@edwartens.com.
Practise what you learn in the free 3D lab
Technical work is judged on what you can do: wiring, commissioning, finding a fault. Doing a task yourself teaches more than watching it a second time, and a lab lets you try it safely before you meet real equipment. It does not replace working on real hardware.
- Practise safely, so a mistake costs nothing.
- The lab checks your work like a site test, so you know when it is right.
- Free, in your browser, with nothing to install.
Why learn with EDWartens
What you get with this course, and what comes after it.
- Free from the first lesson to the final assessment.
- Practice in a free 3D lab in your browser, with nothing to install.
- Video lessons with written notes and a project.
- An optional certificate that anyone can verify online.
- Free internships to keep practising afterwards.
Common questions
Is this course legal advice?
No. It teaches lawyers and legal teams how to use AI tools safely in their own work. It does not advise on any matter, and nothing in it replaces a lawyer's own judgement or research.
Who is the AI for Lawyers and Legal Teams course for?
Advocates, in-house counsel, paralegals, law firm managers and final-year law students, in any country. The Indian law covered is the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, the DPDP Act 2023 and the courts' approach to AI; the methods apply anywhere.
Do I need to buy a legal AI tool?
No. The exercises work with a free general assistant and Microsoft Word. The contract review lessons demonstrate one product's Word add-in; EDWartens is not affiliated with it, and the playbook method works with any tool.
Can I use client documents in the exercises?
No. Use public or invented documents throughout. The course teaches you never to put a client's confidential material into a public AI tool.
Is the AI for Lawyers and Legal Teams course really free?
Yes. Every module, the notes, the project and the final assessment are free.
What certificate does the AI for Lawyers and Legal Teams course give?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you pass the final assessment, with a number anyone can verify on our site. It is not a Bar Council qualification or CLE credit, and we never describe it as one.
How long does the AI for Lawyers and Legal Teams course take?
About 7.8 hours of video lessons, notes and practice questions, plus around 8 hours if you do the project. You can work through it at your own pace around practice.
What is the project in the AI for Lawyers and Legal Teams course?
You lead the introduction of AI contract review at a mid-sized commercial law firm. You write an AI use procedure, an NDA review playbook, a risk register and a pilot report with figures that tie out. A worked sample pack shows each document, using invented material only.
Do I have to use the lab?
No. The lab is optional practice. You can skip it whenever you like, and it never blocks your progress, the final assessment or your certificate.
Is the lab free?
Yes. Every lab level for this course opens in your browser, free, with nothing to install.
What topics does the AI for Lawyers and Legal Teams course cover, module by module?
The AI for Lawyers and Legal Teams course has 9 modules. It opens with "AI in legal practice: what changed, and how to vet a tool", goes through "Where a law firm should actually start", "Twenty AI use cases for lawyers", "Hallucinations and fake citations" and "AI, the courts and the law in India" and ends with "Final Assessment". The full list with minutes is under "What you learn" on this page.
What can I do after the AI for Lawyers and Legal Teams course?
After the AI for Lawyers and Legal Teams course: Vet a legal AI tool on its data terms and on your own documents; Choose low-risk first uses for a firm and cost them honestly; Write anonymised legal prompts and keep a prompt library. These are the practical outcomes the course is written around, and the final assessment of 15 questions checks them.
What software and hardware do I need for the AI for Lawyers and Legal Teams course, and does it cost anything?
For the AI for Lawyers and Legal Teams course, software: A free account on one general AI assistant, and Microsoft Word for the contract review lessons. Nothing else to install. Never paste a client's confidential material into a public tool. Hardware: any computer with a browser. The course itself is free.
Is the AI for Lawyers and Legal Teams course suitable for me, and what level is it?
AI for Lawyers and Legal Teams is rated beginner. Beginner. For advocates, in-house counsel, paralegals, law firm managers and final-year law students. No coding and no technical background. It is written for lawyers, law students, paralegals and in-house legal teams, and takes about 7.8 hours at your own pace.
Which jobs use the skills from the AI for Lawyers and Legal Teams course?
Skills from the AI for Lawyers and Legal Teams course (for example: vet a legal AI tool on its data terms and on your own documents) are used in roles such as analyst, operations specialist, project coordinator and team lead using AI tools, and in lawyer work. The course gives you practical evidence of the skill; it does not promise a job, and employers decide on experience and interview.
Start free today
AI for Lawyers and Legal Teams: Research, Drafting and Contract Review, Safely, at your own pace. Add the certificate only if you want one.