University of Alberta Launches New Course to Boost Lawyer Competency in Artificial Intelligence Issues in Today's Legal Practice

By: Michelle Newlands & Hero Laird, Digital Law & Innovation Society, University of Alberta Faculty of Law

​As a legal professional, your ability to deliver professional legal services is at risk if you do not understand how artificial intelligence (AI) impacts your business and the work you do for your clients. In today's world AI is not a hypothetical. It is already implicated in many important social interactions.
 
This is why the University of Alberta Faculty of Extension and the Digital Law and Innovation Society have launched a new professional development course beginning November 2021.

​“Lawyers and legal professionals need to understand the implications of technology and artificial intelligence in order to effectively respond to the digital reality of this day and age,” says Donna Purcell, QC.

This Digital Law Primer is a 12-hour course that features legal and AI experts from more than six countries. It explores key AI concepts and specific applications that affect legal service provision.

“Around the world, AI is changing the legal profession. Legal professionals with competency in this area can work effectively with AI specialists to make better choices,” says Randy Goebel, Law-and-AI Expert and Professor of Computing Science at the University of Alberta. 

If you are a professional who is not yet aware of AI methods being used in law, legal processes and policy development, this course is for you. Whether you are AI-curious or AI-sceptical, the real-world implications are important to understand.
 
This interactive course will help legal professionals see how AI may be hurting your work, how it may help, and what steps you can take next to stay caught up as the use of AI continues to affect the practice of law.
 
Course topics include family matters, insurance, contracts, civil rights and more. Instructors and guest lecturers will draw on in-depth case studies from government service provision, law firms, legal aid organizations, courts, and advocacy organizations in Canada. 

Registration is now open for AI & Your Legal Business: Artificial Intelligence and Its Implications for Legal Practice” and begins November 6, 2021. Click here to learn more about the course or to register.

You can read more about the discussion of technology as a required competency for lawyers at Slaw Canada’s Online Legal Magazine and the Law Society of Alberta.