Queen’s Law’s one‑day online intensive gives legal practitioners hands‑on experience analyzing GenAI in legal research, helping them see where the technology can support their work — and where its use may pose risks.
Queen’s Law’s one‑day online intensive gives legal practitioners hands‑on experience analyzing GenAI in legal research, helping them see where the technology can support their work — and where its use may pose risks.
The Professional Intensive is led by Queen’s Law experts Christa Bracci, an adjunct professor who teaches Advanced Legal Research and legal skills courses, and Erica Friesen, a research and instruction librarian and online learning specialist at the Lederman Law Library.
The Professional Intensive is led by Queen’s Law experts Christa Bracci, an adjunct professor who teaches Advanced Legal Research and legal skills courses, and Erica Friesen, a research and instruction librarian and online learning specialist at the Lederman Law Library.

Generative AI (GenAI) has the potential to make legal research faster and more effective — but used without care, it can expose lawyers to errors, reputational damage and professional‑responsibility risks. A new professional intensive from Queen’s Law aims to help legal practitioners navigate this rapidly evolving landscape with confidence.

The GenAI in Contemporary Legal Research Professional Intensive, delivered live online on April 17, is designed and taught by two Queen’s Law experts with extensive experience in legal research and skills training.

“The marketplace is saturated with webinars that tout the benefits of individual tools or promise to help lawyers integrate AI tools strategically into their firm business models,” says Christa Bracci, an adjunct professor who teaches JD courses in legal skills and research. “But very few sessions help practitioners critically assess these tools and understand their limits. That’s essential for anyone practising law, whether you’re a managing partner purchasing a bespoke AI product or an associate directed to use one. Without understanding how the tool actually works, you risk overlooking serious limitations.”

Bracci has been active in GenAI-focused working groups that explore the technology’s implications for legal learning and practice. These collaborations share strategies for helping students — and now practitioners — understand how GenAI systems function and how to evaluate them with a critical, informed lens.

Her colleague and course co-developer Erica Friesen, a research and instruction librarian and online learning specialist at the Lederman Law Library, agrees. “The only way to truly grasp the utility and limitations of these tools is to work with them on realistic legal problems,” she says. “That’s why our intensive is hands‑on.” This experiential approach gives participants the chance to test GenAI tools directly, analyze their output, and see for themselves where the technology performs well — and where it can fall short.

Friesen developed early expertise with AI while working as a librarian at a Bay Street law firm. When she joined Queen’s in 2020, she partnered with Bracci to teach AI and legal research, eventually co-authoring Legal Research Online, an open‑access textbook for law students. “We’re committed to helping learners engage with AI in a professionally responsible manner,” she says. “That work has only become more important with the rise of GenAI.”

One of the most common risks they see is using AI as a shortcut without understanding what the technology does or how different systems vary. “Time pressures in legal practice, combined with how convincingly GenAI mimics expertise, can lead to simple and avoidable mistakes,” says Friesen. “Our intensive starts with the premise that you can’t use AI responsibly unless you understand its mechanics — and then we give practitioners a framework they can apply across many scenarios.”

The one-day, vendor-agnostic course is designed for lawyers, paralegals, law clerks, legal researchers, and others working in roles where strong legal research skills are vital. It provides a practical, realistic understanding of how GenAI is affecting modern legal research, using real-life examples and guided experimentation to help participants recognize both the potential and the limitations of these tools — and avoid pitfalls that have already led to publicized courtroom missteps.

A central takeaway is a clearer understanding of what happens at each layer of a GenAI system: the input, the machine processing, and the output. “By breaking a GenAI system into its component parts and examining the features and limits of each stage, it becomes easier to see what the technology can do well,” says Bracci. “It also becomes clear where it can’t help — or where its use could even pose risks.”

The GenAI in Contemporary Legal Research Professional Intensive runs online via Zoom on April 17, 2026. Active participation is required to receive a certificate of completion. Registration is $580, with discounts for organizations such as non‑profits and educational institutions. Learn more and register on the course webpage.