Practical Legal Technology for Commercial Practice
This is the first in a two-part feature on the 1.5-credit elective courses offered by the CityUHK School of Law to students this past summer.
In Summer 2026, the School offered a course titled “Practical Legal Technology for Commercial Practice”, a hands-on elective designed to help LLB, LLB Double Degree, and JD students use legal AI responsibly and effectively in realistic commercial settings.
The course moved beyond tool demonstrations. Students learnt how to build contract negotiation playbooks, structure effective prompts, compare AI tools, protect confidential information, and verify AI-generated legal work. In the final group project, students selected different AI tools, developed playbooks, applied them to realistic contract scenarios, prepared redlines, and presented concise, CEO-ready advice.
A central theme was that AI can help create work product, but lawyers must still understand the underlying legal and commercial issues, verify the output, communicate clearly, and stand behind their recommendation. The project, therefore, required students not only to use AI but also to challenge its assumptions and explain their advice from the client’s perspective.
Student reflections highlighted effective prompting, contract negotiation playbooks, verification, and practical legal application as significant takeaways. The scenarios were also viewed as appropriately pitched, while students suggested that future iterations could explore additional legal applications, case law verification, drafting exercises, and emerging agentic AI tools.
The course was designed and taught by Mr Justen Li, General Counsel of Swire Hotels and an active in-house practitioner, drawing on his experience using legal AI and technology in commercial legal work. This practitioner perspective enabled students to work through realistic scenarios reflecting the judgments, risks and communication demands faced by modern commercial lawyers. The course was also supported by Thomson Reuters, which provided students with access to CoCounsel for hands-on learning.
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1.5-credit electives are open to eligible LLB, LLB Double Degree, and JD students. Two 1.5-credit courses can be combined to fulfil a full 3-credit requirement. Students interested in future offerings are encouraged to check upcoming course listings on AIMS or reach out to the JD programme team at slwjdp@cityu.edu.hk.