Clio is making a major education push around legal AI.
The Vancouver-headquartered legaltech company has launched the Legal AI Accelerator, a free training and certification program designed to help legal professionals build practical AI fluency as the technology becomes a bigger part of day-to-day legal work.
Through the initiative, Clio has committed to training 25,000 legal professionals on legal AI by ClioCon 2026. The company describes the program as the legal industry’s largest AI training initiative to date.
The Legal AI Accelerator runs from June 15 through August 31, 2026, and is structured around real legal workflows rather than abstract lectures. Participants will have access to 65 days of guided practice, peer cohorts, monthly content drops and challenges, CLE-eligible virtual sessions, and three new free certifications.
The program is designed for legal professionals at different stages of AI adoption, with learning pathways tailored from beginner to expert. Clio is also tying the virtual program to in-person Clio Connects events in Chicago, Charlotte, Los Angeles, and San Diego.
For Clio, the accelerator reflects a broader shift in the legal industry: AI knowledge is quickly moving from competitive advantage to basic professional competency.
The company noted that state bars are beginning to codify AI use, mandatory AI continuing legal education is emerging in the United States, and clients are increasingly asking firms about their AI policies. While much of the formal regulatory pressure is currently south of the border, the larger trend is relevant for legal professionals everywhere: firms are being pushed to understand not only what AI can do, but how to use it responsibly.
“Technology only transforms an industry when people know how to use it,” said Joshua Lenon, Clio’s Lawyer-in-Residence. “Legal AI is creating entirely new ways to practice law, and we’re investing in education because we want every legal professional to be able to participate in that future.”
The accelerator arrives as legal AI adoption is accelerating across law firms, but education remains uneven. Many firms are experimenting with AI tools for research, drafting, summarization, intake, and workflow automation, yet lawyers and staff still need training on accuracy, confidentiality, supervision, ethics, and practical implementation.
Clio is positioning the program as a way to make that expertise more widely available, rather than concentrated among early adopters or large firms with dedicated innovation teams.
“Every advancement in legal technology creates a choice: concentrate expertise in the hands of a few, or make it accessible to many,” Lenon said.
The Legal AI Accelerator is open for registration now through Clio.