Clio has unveiled two initiatives designed to enhance AI proficiency among legal professionals. The company is targeting two fronts: direct access to AI tools and comprehensive training sessions.
On June 15th, Clio announced the Legal AI Accelerator, a program aiming to educate and certify 25,000 legal professionals by October 2026. This initiative focuses on the integration of AI within legal practices, with an emphasis on structured learning and certification. Clio asserts that this represents the legal industry’s largest AI-oriented training endeavor to date. The program offers 65 days of guided practice with opportunities to earn certifications, monthly content updates, and participation in CLE-eligible sessions.
Simultaneously, Clio, in collaboration with The Florida Bar, unveiled the Preferred Bar Program. This initiative provides members of The Florida Bar with four months of complimentary, unlimited access to Clio Work, the company’s AI workspace. The goal is to support responsible and ethical AI usage by bundling in a structured training curriculum. According to Phil Rosenthal, Clio’s head of bar and academic partnerships, this collaboration mitigates potential ethical dilemmas associated with using generic AI tools, offering instead a “secure” AI solution.
Sia Baker-Barnes, President of The Florida Bar, expressed that this arrangement is tailored for lawyer-specific workflows, facilitating reliable AI usage. Although the benefit is pending launch, members can register their interest in advance.
Clio’s initiatives reflect a common belief that AI competency has shifted from being an asset to a necessity in legal practice. As noted in an article by LawNext, as the legal landscape evolves, state bars are increasingly codifying AI usage, and lawyers are expected to have formal AI policies. Clio’s approach aims for broad adoption, with a strategic focus on education and safe implementation.