On completion of this online course, all participants will:
have developed a foundational understanding of how artificial intelligence works and an awareness of its strengths, limitations, and challenges,
have a better, technically informed understanding of key issues in AI regulation, data privacy and responsible AI use in the practice of the law,
have gained applicable insights into the robustness and capacity for misuse of GenAI for legal practice and legal support,
be able to answer advanced client queries about AI deployment on their matters and to reassure them through knowledge and insight,
have had the opportunity to learn from your colleagues' experiences via the final exercise,
have exclusive access to the Oxford LawTech Education Programme (OLTEP) alumni network,
have earned a personal certificate from the course that highlights your understanding of the topic.
'AI Essentials' has been designed for all legal services professionals who deploy or lead the deployment of AI tools as part of their daily role. It is intended to give participants technically accurate mental models and genuine understanding of what's inside modern AI systems so they will deploy such systems with insight and confidence. The course, led by University of Oxford experts, will help you better understand when and why trust in AI systems (including GenAI) can be justified and when it cannot.
The course is suited for professionals at all levels of experience or seniority who want to deepen their knowledge in the field of AI. No prior technical or legal knowledge of artificial intelligence is required.
The course—delivered exclusively to closed cohorts from within the same organisation—will be of particular interest to members of your innovation networks, professional services lawyers, librarians/information services professionals, and business services professionals.
Over the course of 4 weeks (exact course dates are always agreed with the client) participants will complete these stages:
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Course Orientation (10 min) Get to know the lecturers, the aims of the course, and how to complete it successfully. |
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Unit 1: AI Basics in Clear Focus (20 min) A clear introduction to the key terms and concepts of AI, designed to give you the essential grounding for the deeper, technology-focused lectures that follow. And why this knowledge matters. |
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Unit 2: The Lawyer's AI Primer (2 hours) An accessible introduction to the computer science foundations of modern AI tailored specifically for legal services professionals or those with interest in legal issues relating to AI. |
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Unit 3: AI Regulation Digest (5 min) Reviews the current state of AI (non)regulation in the context of legal services provision. |
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Unit 4: The Data Elephant in the Room (20 min) Explores three distinct ways how data (incl. confidential client data) are processed in GenAI tools, highlighting new opportunities for knowledge sharing as well as counter-intuitive data privacy risks. |
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Unit 5: GenAI in Legal Practice (20 min) Shows what technically informed critical application of GenAI in legal practice looks like, examining the potential risks and benefits of GenAI and how professional obligations can help to optimise its use. |
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Certificate of Completion (15 min) |
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Consolidation & Evaluation Session (30 min) The closing live session will synthesise what you've learned, evaluate the Capstone Exercise submissions, and summarise how others in your organisation think about AI deployment. Q&A included. |
Download our brochure to learn more.
We recommend that you set aside 5 hours to complete the course.
The minimum expected time commitment is 4.5 hours spread over the duration of the whole course (4 weeks) or, on average, just over 1 hour weekly. This includes 3 hours of video lectures, 1 hour of live sessions (recorded), and 0.5 hour spent on quizzes and the final written exercise.
Of course, you may choose to dedicate more time to your learning if, for example, you wish to revise the computer science lectures multiple times, make detailed notes on the provided handouts, engage in the asynchronous discussion fora, or study other resources we recommend for those who want to dig deeper. In such cases, your learning time can rise to 10 hours in total.
While all parts of the course can be completed asynchronously, you will have the opportunity to participate in two live online sessions:
| Opening live session | Day 1 of the course | Course orientation; Opening lecture (Unit 1) |
| Closing live session |
Day 28 of the course | Consolidation & Evaluation; Open Q&A |
These live sessions are held in the AM and PM, typically from 8.30am to 9.00am and from 6.00pm to 6.30pm UK time (UTC+1), in order to allow participants to connect from any part of the globe. You would be expected to attend only one of these sessions on each date. For the benefit of those who may not be able to attend live, the sessions are recorded and made available to participants on our Virtual Learning Environment.
Our course handbook guides you through the course and provides advice on scheduling your studies, to make your learning as successful as possible. You will receive regular email signposts on the recommended progression journey.
In this course, you will be taught by OLTEP Co-Founders
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Professor of Computer Science at the University of Oxford and Fellow of Balliol College. |
Professor of Public Law and Criminal Law at the University of Oxford and Fellow of Pembroke College. |
Senior Lecturer at the University of Bristol Law School and Associate Member of the Oxford Computer Science Department. |
If you want this course to be run for your organisation, please contact [email protected] and we will get back to you with more details.
About the Course
Opening Live Event Invitation
Welcome Message from your Leadership (Chief Innovation Office or similar)
Opening Live Event Recording
Get Ready with Handouts
Get Ready with iCalendar Files
Enter the Unit
LEARN - Lecture (Beyond the Hype to Core Concepts)
LEARN - Test Your Knowledge
LEARN - Key Takeaways
EXPLORE - References
EXPLORE - Discussion Forum (Unit 1)
Enter the Unit
LEARN - Lecture (Introduction)
LEARN - Lecture (Neural Networks)
LEARN - Lecture (Evaluating a Model)
LEARN - Lecture (Interpretability and Explainability)
LEARN - Lecture (The Transformer Revolution)
LEARN - Lecture (How Does an LLM Work?)
LEARN - Lecture (Word Embeddings)
LEARN - Lecture (LLM Training and Evaluation)
LEARN - Lecture (AI Systems & Products)
LEARN - Lecture (LLM Risks & Limitations)
LEARN - Test Your Knowledge
LEARN - Key Takeaways
EXPLORE - References
EXPLORE - Discussion Forum (Unit 2)
Enter the Unit
LEARN - Lecture (AI Regulation and the Practice of Law)
LEARN - Test Your Knowledge
LEARN - Key Takeaways
EXPLORE - References
EXPLORE - Discussion Forum (Unit 3)
Enter the Unit
LEARN - Lecture (Data Flows and Data Risks in GenAI Systems)
LEARN - Lecture (Memorisation Risks)
LEARN - Lecture (Context Window Risks)
LEARN - Lecture (RAG Pipeline Risks)
LEARN - Lecture (Conclusion)
LEARN - Test Your Knowledge
LEARN - Key Takeaways
EXPLORE - References
EXPLORE - Discussion Forum (Unit 4)
Enter the Unit
LEARN - Lecture (Reaping Benefits While Avoiding Pitfalls)
LEARN - Lecture (So How Should We Use AI Tools?)
LEARN - Test Your Knowledge
LEARN - Key Takeaways
EXPLORE - References
EXPLORE - Discussion Forum (Unit 5)
