New to AI-assisted legal drafting? Start with Oregon Law's AI microcredential.
If you handle contracts but are new to using AI tools, the University of Oregon School of Law's Generative AI in Transactional Practice course gives you a focused, practical way to build these skills. Through this two-week AI legal course, you'll learn all about prompt engineering for lawyers and how to apply generative AI to contract drafting, review, negotiation, and lifecycle management. You’ll also consider how to evaluate AI-generated work, protect confidential information, and meet your professional responsibilities when using these tools. Every exercise in our curriculum is built around real transactional work, so you leave with workflows you can implement in your practice right away.
What You Will Learn in This Two-Week AI Legal Course
This course covers the full arc of how generative AI can support transactional law practice. You'll start with the fundamentals of how large language models process legal language, then move quickly into hands-on exercises where you write, test, and refine prompts for specific contract tasks. By the end of the course, you will be able to:
- Develop generative AI prompts for drafting and evaluating contract provisions, including representations, definitions, and fallback language
- Build contract playbooks and drafting checklists using AI, a skill central to AI contract playbook development in modern practice
- Design a repeatable process for evaluating AI-generated output in transactional documents so you can identify errors, missing terms, and risk
- Analyze strategies for contract review and negotiation, including AI legal document review techniques
- Create a system for ongoing contract maintenance powered by AI-generated tracking and alerts
- Construct a vendor due diligence framework to assess AI tool capabilities and data privacy protections before adopting new technology
- Recognize the ethical obligations that apply when attorneys, paralegals and contract managers, and other legal professionals use generative AI in practice
Why Choose Oregon Law's Contracts Microcredential
The use of generative AI in transactional practice is evolving fast, and many training options are either tool-specific demos or broad overviews that skip the realities of contract work. This University of Oregon credential is different in ways that directly benefit you as a working professional.
Practice-Focused, Simulation-Based Exercises
Every module centers on exercises modeled after actual transactional scenarios. You'll draft provisions with AI assistance, evaluate AI-generated redlines, and build checklists you can adapt to your practice area. The instructor uses Microsoft Copilot to demonstrate prompting techniques during select exercises, giving you exposure to an enterprise-grade tool in a legal context.
A University-Backed Credential with Practical Value
Upon completion, you earn a university-issued digital badge you can add to your LinkedIn profile, resume, and professional portfolio. As a noncredit microcredential in AI from an accredited law school, it signals to employers and clients that you've invested in applied AI skills specific to transactional work.
Designed for Working Legal Professionals
You don't need to pause your career or rearrange your caseload. The entire 10-hour course is fully online and asynchronous, with content designed to be completed in approximately two weeks. Participants may access the course and complete the work anytime within a one-month access period.
Meet Your Instructor
This course is taught by Kristie Gibson, associate clinical professor in the Business Law program at the University of Oregon School of Law and faculty director of the Business Law Program. Professor Gibson developed the curriculum to respond directly to the growing adoption of AI technologies across law firms and corporate legal departments, and she has been recognized by the law school for exceptional teaching, with a focus on hands-on simulations, transactional law competitions, and experiential coursework. Prior to joining Oregon Law, Gibson worked as a business attorney and as in-house counsel.
“As generative AI becomes more integrated into transactional practice, legal professionals should have a practical understanding of how to use these tools effectively and ethically. This course provides a foundational introduction to generative AI through guided exercises focused on contract drafting, analysis, negotiation, and contract management.”
-Kristie Gibson
FAQ for Legal Professionals Exploring Generative AI
Is this a noncredit legal certificate in AI? Will I earn CLE credits?
This is a noncredit course offered through the University of Oregon School of Law. It is not eligible for financial aid, but many employers reimburse continuing education, so check with your human resources department. This microcredential has been approved by the Oregon State Bar for 10 hours of Oregon CLE credit (8.0 General, 2.0 Ethics). CLE applications in other states are currently pending. Because each jurisdiction sets its own rules and many states have reciprocity with Oregon, you should verify whether this course qualifies for credit in your state. Upon completion, you'll earn a university-issued digital badge for your LinkedIn profile and resume.
How can AI improve the process of creating legal documents?
Generative AI can accelerate several phases of document creation. In this course, you'll learn how AI supports drafting contract provisions, flagging inconsistencies during AI legal document review, and generating alternative clause language for negotiation. The exercises show you how to evaluate AI output so you keep professional judgment over every document that leaves your desk.
What are the latest AI tools used in legal practice, and does this course cover them?
The course is intentionally tool-agnostic, teaching transferable prompting and evaluation skills that apply across any generative AI platform. The instructor uses Microsoft Copilot to demonstrate select exercises, giving you direct exposure to how an enterprise tool handles transactional work.
Do I need prior experience with AI to enroll?
No. This course is built for legal professionals early in their use of generative AI. You don't need a technical background. The curriculum starts with foundational AI concepts and moves into guided exercises at a pace that assumes you're learning prompt engineering for lawyers for the first time. This course provides guidance to help you apply these tools effectively, accurately, and ethically.
Who is the ideal candidate for this course?
This course is designed for attorneys, paralegals and contract managers, and other legal professionals who work on transactional deals and want to develop applied AI skills, especially those with limited or no prior experience using generative AI in daily work.
How much does it cost? What if I want to drop the course?
This noncredit microcredential course costs $650.00. If you want to drop the course, contact UO CPE directly at 541-346-4231 or cpe@uoregon.edu.
What is your cancellation and refund policy?
You can drop the course prior to the first day of class and get a full refund. Participants who drop the course are not eligible to receive the digital badge.
How long will I have access to this course?
Each course starts mid-month and enrolled participants will have access to the course for a month, starting the 15th of the month (e.g. October 15) through the 14th of the following month (e.g. November 14).