Last reviewed: 15 July 2026 against Skills England, DWP and SRA sources.
This legacy URL originally described a proposed unit that is not available for delivery. The current AI leadership portfolio comprises AU0009, AU0010 and AU0011. The permalink remains so earlier links now lead to the correction and current guidance.
Which Unit Fits Which Legal-Sector Need?
| Unit | Legal-services application | Published minimum / funding |
|---|---|---|
| AU0009 AI strategy and opportunity | Decide where AI could improve legal-service or business workflows, test viability, set direction and build support. | Level 5 30 hours Up to £750 |
| AU0010 AI adoption, procurement and governance | Evaluate legal-tech suppliers, assess data and IP risk, establish approval and escalation, define assurance and human review. | Level 5 30 hours Up to £750 |
| AU0011 AI delivery and organisational transformation | Lead implementation, role redesign and reskilling; manage incidents; monitor deployed systems; communicate risk and opportunity. | Level 5 30 hours Up to £750 |
All three have earliest starts from 28 April 2026. Skills England positions them for employed learners aged 19 or over in leadership roles with autonomy to deliver technological change and inform investment decisions. Partner status or a senior title alone does not establish eligibility.
SRA Duties Still Apply When Firms Use AI
The SRA does not create a separate safe harbour for AI-generated work. Its technology research explains that the SRA Principles and Code of Conduct continue to apply when firms use AI. Its effective-supervision guidance explicitly discusses supervision in the context of AI. Its confidentiality guidance describes confidentiality as a core professional obligation and points firms toward appropriate security assessment for cloud services.
That means a legal employer needs arrangements that answer practical questions:
- Which tools are approved for which work and information?
- Who evaluates vendor terms, security, data use and exit risk?
- What human review is required before advice, evidence or client communications are used?
- How are competence and supervision adjusted for the task and the person's experience?
- How are clients informed where AI use is material to service or agreed terms?
- How are errors, suspected disclosure and other incidents escalated and recorded?
AU0009, AU0010 and AU0011 can develop leadership skills relevant to those questions. They do not answer them for the firm, provide legal advice or certify compliance.
Map Learning to Real Legal AI Risks
| Risk or decision | Best-aligned unit outcome | Useful workplace evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Selecting the right use cases | AU0009: opportunity, viability, risk and strategic alignment | Prioritised use-case register with assumptions and stop/go criteria |
| Client data and vendor risk | AU0010: procurement, data, IP, assurance and governance | Vendor evaluation and approval record |
| Supervision and human review | AU0010: human oversight, roles and escalation | Role-based review and escalation matrix |
| Deployment failure or quality drift | AU0011: monitoring, incident response and communication | Monitoring plan, incident exercise and improvement log |
Workplace relevance does not require learners to disclose client-confidential, privileged or personal information to a training platform or classroom. Providers and employers should agree safe evidence methods, redaction and access controls before delivery.
Role Fit in Law Firms and In-House Teams
- Managing partner or AI sponsor: AU0009 may support direction, business cases, risk appetite and stakeholder alignment.
- Innovation, technology, procurement, risk or compliance leader: AU0010 may support supplier evaluation, governance, assurance and oversight.
- COO, transformation lead or practice leader implementing AI-enabled workflows: AU0011 may support delivery, workforce impact and monitoring.
- General counsel advising the wider organisation: choose according to whether the actual gap is strategy, adoption governance or delivery oversight.
A junior lawyer learning to use an approved drafting assistant is not automatically the target learner. Neither is a technical specialist without leadership authority. The unit entry requirement and initial assessment must fit the person's role.
Legal Employer Buyer Checklist
- Remove AU0002, 80-hour and £2,000 descriptions from procurement and learning catalogues.
- Choose AU0009, AU0010 or AU0011 using the published outcomes and the employee's actual authority.
- Confirm learner and programme eligibility, including 19+, employment, England and prior-learning checks.
- Expect at least 30 eligible live delivery hours and a separate skills test for each selected unit.
- Treat £750 as the maximum government contribution per unit, not a guaranteed provider price.
- Agree how client confidentiality, privilege, personal data and security will be protected in examples and evidence.
- Ask the provider to distinguish professional-regulation context from legal advice or compliance certification.
- Name the employer representative who will validate completion and application.
For funding and assessment rules, use the current AI leadership apprenticeship unit guide. Organisations comparing suppliers can use the unit buyer's guide.
Frequently asked questions
Can legal employers still enrol staff on AU0002?
No. Skills England marks AU0002 as withdrawn. The approved portfolio is AU0009 for AI strategy and opportunity, AU0010 for adoption, procurement and governance, and AU0011 for delivery and organisational transformation.
Which unit best fits AI governance in a law firm?
AU0010 most directly covers vendor evaluation, procurement, data and intellectual-property risk, governance roles, assurance, documentation and human oversight. AU0009 may fit the leader setting firm-wide AI direction, while AU0011 may fit the leader responsible for implementation, workforce change, incident planning and monitoring.
Does completing an AI leadership unit satisfy SRA duties?
No. An apprenticeship unit is not an SRA qualification and does not certify compliance. The SRA's Principles and Codes of Conduct continue to apply when technology and AI are used. Firms must determine and evidence their own arrangements for competence, supervision, confidentiality, client service and professional judgement.
What are the published hours and funding?
AU0009, AU0010 and AU0011 are each Level 5, require at least 30 delivery hours and carry a maximum government contribution of £750. Each is a separate funded product with its own eligibility check, training plan, delivery and skills test.
Sources & further reading
- Skills England — AU0002: Artificial intelligence (AI) for leaders — withdrawn
- Skills England — AU0009: AI strategy and opportunity
- Skills England — AU0010: AI adoption, procurement and governance
- Skills England — AU0011: AI delivery and organisational transformation
- Solicitors Regulation Authority — Effective supervision guidance
- Solicitors Regulation Authority — Confidentiality of client information
- GOV.UK — Apprenticeship unit funding rules 2026 to 2027