Factor Launches Legal AI Upskilling Program Designed by Lawyers, for Lawyers

Sensemaker Academy helps legal teams move from AI hesitancy to hands-on fluency through real-world, legal scenario-based training.

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, May 21, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Factor today announced the launch of its Sensemaker Academy, a new training program that helps legal professionals, including those with little or no AI experience, confidently and competently apply AI in their daily work.

As AI capabilities surge forward, the need to broaden the population of lawyers and legal team members prepared to make effective use of it is becoming clear. Factor’s Legal AI Benchmarking Report found that while more than 60% of legal teams now have access to enterprise AI tools, fewer than 20% of lawyers say they are truly confident using them.

Sensemaker Academy was developed to close that gap, with structure and content informed by extensive research — including surveys, interviews, and focus groups with hundreds of legal professionals. Designed for the still AI-hesitant majority of legal teams, not just ‘power users’, it is the first practitioner-driven legal AI training program of its kind.

“Most lawyers don’t need more hype — they need a way in,” said Chris DeConti, Chief Strategy Officer at Factor. “This program wasn’t built for the handful of AI enthusiasts in every legal department. It’s for the majority who feel skeptical, uninformed, or even intimidated. Our goal is to move them to a place of confidence, competence, and ultimately creativity in their use of AI.”

Factor developed the curriculum in collaboration with The Sense Collective, a group of 20 leading in-house legal departments, and Professor Dan Hunter, Executive Dean of The Dickson Poon School of Law, King’s College London, alongside Peter Duffy, CEO & Founder of TITANS. Rather than offering generic technology training, Sensemaker Academy helps legal professionals build an AI mindset through real-world legal simulations.

From contract review and litigation analysis to risk assessments and corporate work, participants complete legal tasks that mirror the pace and complexity of modern legal practice. Facilitator-led sessions take place in a sandbox environment, featuring proprietary AI-enabled ‘coaches’ that provide personalized guidance and feedback.

Legal teams from both in-house functions and law firms are among the first to enroll, citing the value of the program’s legal-specific, hands-on approach.

“We’ve been proactively investing in AI skills across the organization and our legal team are forward-thinkers in bringing our AI game to elevate our impact,” said Aine Lyons, SVP & Deputy General Counsel at Workday. “Factor’s program offered us exactly what we need — an opportunity to share best practices and develop real world AI uses that deliver ROI”.

Akin views the program as an important accelerant to its ongoing effort to ensure its lawyers lead the way in an AI-driven future.

“AI is changing the landscape of legal service delivery, and our lawyers need to be ready to lead, not follow,” said Jeff Westcott, Director of Practice Technology & AI Innovation at Akin. “We’re not speculating about what AI might do — we’re testing it, applying it, and planning around it.”

Sensemaker Academy is structured to meet legal teams where they are — whether AI-curious or AI-cautious — and to help them build skills in a way that’s deeply relevant, not abstract. Participants leave with more than knowledge: they gain practical fluency, strategic insight, and a toolkit for real-world application.

Learn more about Sensemaker Academy or enroll your team.

Ashley Infantino
Factor
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