I am a Gen-X attorney.  In high school, Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” album was the primary soundtrack to my senior prom.  My adult children jokingly ask for my fax number when I ask them to send me documents.  I remind them that I still pay for their cell phone bills.

Late last year, I resolved to become competent in everyday usage of artificial intelligence (“AI”) for business practices.  I am forty days into this resolution and am already saving hours per week by investing fifteen minutes per day, five days a week.   The purpose of this article is to provide some simple tips for confidently using even beginner-level AI to save hours per week on legal work.

With a structured, intentional approach, I am convinced any attorney can progress from having no familiarity with AI to becoming a confident, AI‑enabled litigator. The roadmap below outlines a simple, beginner-level learning plan, combined with specific daily practices and recommended resources that support sustained, real‑world skill tutelage.

Phase 1: Establishing Core AI Foundations (Weeks 1–3)

Attorneys beginning their AI journey should first obtain a basic understanding of how contemporary AI systems function, their limitations, and the terminology commonly used to describe them. This foundational knowledge provides the conceptual footing for more advanced, litigation‑specific tasks.

Introductory (and mostly free) materials available through platforms like Microsoft Learn[i], Coursera[ii], edX[iii], or the “AI for Everyone”[iv] course provide accessible, high‑quality guidance suitable for non‑technical professionals.

During this period, focus on learning fundamental concepts such as large language models, neural networks, and machine learning. Become familiar with the differences between predictive AI and generative AI, and review the essential principles of responsible and ethical AI use, including concerns related to bias, hallucinations, and confidentiality.  You do not want your information to end up on a platform that does not protect client information.

I am finishing the Coursera 28-day free course of 15-minute learning increments.   While some of it is dry as toast, it explains a basic understanding with prompts to show how Gemini and Copilot work for practical applications.

Daily Learning Suggestions

To reinforce foundational learning, during your morning coffee, consider short, structured exercises such as:

• Spend 5–10 minutes each day reading a plain‑language article or module from Microsoft Learn or a similar platform that explains a single AI concept.
• Use an AI tool to summarize a legal article and then evaluate whether the system captured the relevant issues and nuance.
• Experiment with three different versions of the same prompt to observe how phrasing affects output quality.

It is easy and time efficient to find simple YouTube demonstrations of simple prompts such as “find three primary takeaways” from a lengthy expert witness report.

Phase 2: Strengthening AI‑Assisted Legal Research and Writing Skills (Weeks 4–8)

Once you have established foundational knowledge, you can begin applying AI to core litigation tasks such as research, drafting, and issue analysis. During this next phase, explore how AI models conduct retrieval‑augmented research, how legal‑specific platforms like Lexis+ AI and Westlaw’s AI‑enhanced research tools generate results, and what vetting is required to confirm citation accuracy.

Attorneys who use AI should fully consider applicable ethical obligations.[v] As most of us know by now, AI sometimes generates ghost citations created out of thin air. These are commonly referred to as “AI hallucinations”[vi]. It is dangerous and likely malpractice to rely on legal authority cited in an AI-generated search.   Do not be the attorney who gets sanctioned for filing briefs containing AI-generated legal authority.  Many courts now require attorneys to identify whether AI was used in the creation of legal briefs.  Become familiar with local rules concerning AI usage in legal writing and follow your organization’s policy regarding AI usage.

Attorneys can also practice using AI to improve the clarity, structure, and persuasiveness of their writing. Attorneys can create a prompt “sandbox” where they can safely practice generating argument outlines, rule explanations, or counterarguments and then refine the output.

Takeaways

To build durable skills:

• Run a research question through an AI tool and compare its output to traditional research methods. Note any incorrect citations or logical gaps.
• Ask the AI to draft a rule‑explanation paragraph or a concise rewrite of a section of a brief, and then edit the output as you would an associate’s work.
• Use prompts such as “Identify potential counterarguments” or “List issues I may have overlooked in this section.”

These exercises help integrate AI naturally into your existing research and writing workflows.

To date, I have used the above steps to summarize deposition transcripts, to begin the creation of deposition outlines, and to analyze the weaknesses in plaintiff’s claims for relief following the completion of fact discovery.  It has helped me consider affirmative defenses to claims that I had not previously considered.   I have used AI to summarize prior legal authority for use in my own briefs.  Additionally, I have used AI to make an argument more precise.

I have just scratched the surface of practical AI applications for daily use in my litigation work.  However, as a “non-techy” person, I am no longer overwhelmed by the prospect of getting left behind as AI changes the way we practice.  Even us old dogs can learn a few new tricks now and then.

Keep Reading

No Duty, No Problem for a Texas Jury Nuclear Verdicts® Go Global, and So Does The Apex Defusing the Judicial Hellhole®: Pre-Suit Strategy Can Prevent Nuclear Verdicts® The Sixth Sense is Common Sense: Florida Court Holds No Duty to Warn When Adults Fail to Use Ordinary Care for Their Own Safety Driving Up Damages: Potential Class Action in California From Sci-Fi to Humanity: Lawyers Who Inspired Me When the Bugs Hitchhike: Using Entomology to Defeat Bed Bug Habitability Claims How I Became A Lawyer: A Story of An Absence to Inspiration Legal Jiu-Jitsu: The Gentle Art of Practicing Law

More by this author

From Zero to AI‑Augmented Litigator: My Journey from Avoidance and Fear to Delighted Learner Court Ruling Raises Stakes for Caron Treatment Centers in Abuse Case Flaming Hot Mess or Temporary Indigestion? Montañez v. PepsiCo and the Legal Fight for Credit for the Creation of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos

Sources

[i] Microsoft Learn, https://learn.microsoft.com (last visited Feb. 9, 2026).

[ii] Coursera, https://www.coursera.org (last visited Feb. 9, 2026).

[iii] edX, https://www.edx.org (last visited Feb. 9, 2026).

[iv] AI for Everyone, Coursera, https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone (last visited Feb. 9, 2026).

[v] Am. Bar Ass’n, Standing Comm. on Ethics & Pro. Resp., Formal Op. 512 (July 29, 2024).

[vi] What Are AI Hallucinations?, IBM, https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/ai-hallucinations (last visited Feb. 9, 2026).