AI in Legal Practice
Examine how AI transforms legal practice through litigation, contracts, research, and gain practical regulatory and technological expertise for future services.
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Course Description
Enrollment for this course is currently closed. Join the waitlist below to receive an alert as soon as the next session opens for enrollment.
This short course explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming legal practice on the ground today, including litigation and contracts drafting, legal research, discovery, predicting litigation outcomes, and fee structures.
Taught by Clearbrief.ai Founder and CEO Jacqueline Schafer, the course will provide an opportunity to hear from law firm leaders, AI founders, and judges who are in the trenches of applying AI in a rapidly changing legal landscape. Students will also perform hands-on drafting exercises using Clearbrief and other AI tools, and leave with a strong practical understanding of opportunities to apply AI in their daily work, as well as a working understanding of the underlying technology.
By the end, participants will be equipped to critically evaluate AI tools, navigate emerging regulations, and participate in shaping the future of legal services.
For questions about course content or enrollment, please contact [email protected].
CLE Credits
Columbia Law School has been certified by the New York State Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Board as an Accredited Provider of CLE programs. Under New York State CLE regulations, this live webinar for newly admitted and experienced CLE Program will provide 2 hours of New York credits in the Cybersecurity, Privacy and Data Protection-General category, 1 hour of New York credit in the Cybersecurity, Privacy and Data Protection- Ethics category, 1 hour of New York credit in the Skills category. This CLE
Hardship Scholarships
New York Attorneys seeking CLE credit should separately submit a scholarship request, no later than Monday, October 28th, 2025, to [email protected]. Requests, which will be answered, should detail in a few sentences the basis of the applicant's need and the background to his or her interest. Please understand that without a complete scholarship request, the applicant may be notified that the scholarship registration has been cancelled.
What You Will Learn
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:
- Understand AI Fundamentals: Gain a basic understanding of core AI concepts, including machine learning, natural language processing, and predictive analytics, as they apply to legal practice
- Evaluate AI Tools: Critically assess current AI applications (e.g., e-discovery platforms, contract review tools) for their effectiveness, limitations, and ethical implications.
- Legal Framework & Policy: Examine emerging laws, regulations, and ethical rules relevant to AI development and deployment in the legal industry.
- Practical Skills: Develop strategies for implementing AI tools in law firms or corporate legal departments, including vendor evaluation, risk assessment, and compliance considerations.
- Foresight: Anticipate future trends and challenges in AI-driven legal services and understand how to adapt to rapidly changing technologies.
Module Overview:
- Session 1: Understanding AI fundamentals | Tuesday, October 28th: 3:00–4:15pm pm EDT
Understand the Basics of AI, NLP, and Machine Learning & introduction to AI Legal Applications; Identify internal stakeholders and AI project approval processes; Evaluate organizational readiness and pain points.
- Session 2: Evaluating and Selecting AI Tools | Tuesday, November 4th 3:00–4:15pm pm EST
Explore legaltech categories: contract AI, e-discovery, litigation analytics; Identify where off-the-shelf tools fit; Understand how to reach vendors and structure pilots; Discuss ethical and practical implications of tool use.
- Session 3: Comparing Solutions & Running the Pilot | Tuesday, November 11th: 3:00–4:15pm pm EST
Understand regulation, privacy, supervision duties in AI tool usage; Compare vendor responses and product performance; Learn to run a meaningful pilot and evaluate outputs; Assess AI tools advantages and limitations in practice.
- Session 4: Making Decisions and Building Buy-In | Tuesday, November 18th: 3:00–4:15pm pm EST
Learn how to evaluate AI pilots and present findings persuasively; Build rollout plans: training, outsourcing, or in-house champions; Understand firm decision-making and reward structures; Position your team for recognition (awards, publications).
Instructors
Jacqueline Schafer is an Instructor at Columbia Law School, where she teaches Applied AI in Legal Practice: Today and the Future, and the founder and CEO of Clearbrief.ai, a legal tech startup transforming the legal writing process and the justice system. She is also the Legalweek 2025 Innovator of the Year (2025 Finalist, Best Use of AI in Litigation, 2023 Litigation Product of the Year, 2022 New Law Company of the Year, Legalweek). Schafer was named to the American Bar Association’s “2022 Women of Legal Tech” list, the 2022 Fastcase 50, Honoring ‘Innovators, Techies, Visionaries and Leaders’ in Law, and also received the 2021 Washington State Bar APEX Award for Legal Innovation for founding Clearbrief as well as for her 2020 law review article ("Harnessing AI for Struggling Families"). Jacqueline began her career as a litigation associate at the New York law firm of Paul, Weiss, and spent the majority of her career as an Assistant Attorney General in the Washington and Alaska Attorney General’s Offices, where she specialized in appellate practice and complex litigation. She served as in-house counsel for a $3B national nonprofit before launching Clearbrief in 2020.