Flex Legal Kicks Off Microsoft Copilot AI Training with First AI
This month, Flex Legal and First AI officially kicked off their partnership to deliver Microsoft Copilot AI training to Flex Trainees and a select group of Flex Lawyers.
The programme equips junior talent through the Readiness Programme and provides one-to-one upskilling for senior lawyers, enabling them to harness AI to improve efficiency and client delivery.
Early trials were impressive: within two weeks, legal teams created 305 prompts, increased Copilot usage by 437%, and saved up to 9.5 hours per week on administrative and substantive tasks such as document review, client correspondence, and research.
The training has been designed around three key themes:
Responsible AI & Fundamentals:
Participants explored safe and ethical AI use, including bias, confidentiality, and accountability. They were introduced to Microsoft Copilot for lawyers, covering its integration with Microsoft 365, security and compliance benefits, and productivity gains such as document summarisation, drafting emails, and automating routine tasks. The GCSE prompt framework (Goal, Context, Source, Expectations) was introduced as a tool for creating effective, context-rich prompts.
Practical Legal Applications:
The training provided hands-on demonstrations of Copilot in action for legal workflows, including contract review, compliance, due diligence, risk assessment, and client communications.
Participants saw how prompts can be tailored to specific legal tasks to streamline work, improve accuracy, and save time.
Interactive Collaboration & Skill Building:
The programme concluded with a collaborative “promptathon,” allowing participants to apply the GCSE framework to real-world legal scenarios. Groups practised refining prompts, designing workflow improvements, and testing AI solutions in a mock legal environment, building confidence in applying Copilot to their day-to-day work.
Mary Bonsor, founder of Flex Legal, said:
“Universities give graduates strong theoretical knowledge, but programmes like ours help them apply it where it matters: in the heart of real organisations.”
Christina Chen, CEO of First AI, added:
"AI adoption is about people, not just technology. We’re excited to partner with Flex Legal to ensure their talent is future-ready and capable of embedding AI across every workflow."
