Department of Justice — Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat Hands-On Course
| Duration | 4 Hours (plus 45 minutes of breaks) |
| Classification | UNCLASSIFIED // FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY |
| Environment | Microsoft 365 Government Community Cloud (GCC) |
| Delivery Format | Instructor-led, hands-on lab |
| Skill Level | Beginner — no prior AI or Copilot experience required |
Transform Ideas into Action with Copilot Chat is a four-hour, hands-on training course that equips Department of Justice professionals with the skills to use Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat effectively and responsibly in their day-to-day work. Through instructor-led content and guided lab exercises, participants move from first access to building real, mission-relevant work products entirely within the GCC environment.
Every exercise is grounded in realistic DOJ scenarios — drafting read-ahead documents for senior leadership, analyzing program budgets, preparing congressional correspondence, and coordinating multi-component planning efforts. No experience with AI tools is required.
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Access and navigate Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat from the M365 portal, Microsoft Teams, and within Office applications
- Write effective prompts using the five key elements — Role, Goal, Context, Source, and Expectations — to get precise, relevant output on the first try
- Detect and prevent AI hallucinations, including the fabricated legal citations and invented statistics that represent the highest-risk failure modes in DOJ work
- Use Copilot across the M365 suite — Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Copilot Pages — to draft documents, analyze data, write correspondence, and collaborate with colleagues
- Apply responsible AI practices consistent with DOJ policy, including data sensitivity, human review requirements, and output verification
This course is designed for DOJ professionals across all components and divisions who use Microsoft 365 in their daily work, including:
- Attorneys, paralegals, and legal support staff
- Law enforcement agents and analysts
- Policy advisors and program managers
- Administrative and mission-support personnel
- Supervisors and team leads responsible for staff productivity
No technical background is required. If you can write an email, you can write an effective Copilot prompt.
DOJ professionals already produce an enormous volume of written work — briefs, memos, talking points, budget analyses, correspondence, and reports. Copilot Chat does not replace that work; it accelerates the drafting process so you can spend more time on the judgment, strategy, and expertise that only you can provide.
Critically, this course teaches you not just how to use Copilot, but how to use it safely. In a legal and law enforcement environment, an uncritical reliance on AI output — a fabricated case citation, an invented statute, a made-up budget figure — can have real professional and legal consequences. This course addresses that risk directly and gives you the prompting practices to minimize it.
Important: Do not enter classified, Privacy Act-protected, grand jury, attorney-client privileged, or other legally sensitive information into Copilot Chat. Review your Component's AI Acceptable Use Policy before participating. When in doubt, leave it out.
| # | Exercise | Duration | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Exercise Guide | — | Full schedule, prerequisites, GCC notes, and asset descriptions |
| 1 | Getting Started with Copilot Chat | 30 min | Access Copilot Chat, explore the interface, enter your first prompts, and verify Enterprise Data Protection |
| 2 | Writing Effective Prompts for Legal and Law Enforcement Work | 75 min | Master the five prompt elements (Role, Goal, Context, Source, Expectations), detect and prevent AI hallucinations, and write prompts for legal research, policy analysis, and enforcement planning |
| 3 | Work Smarter — Plan a DOJ Priorities Review | 120 min | Use Copilot across Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Pages to research, draft documents, analyze budgets, and collaborate on a DOJ Priorities Review |
Supporting files used during the exercises are located in the assets/ folder:
| File | Used In | Description |
|---|---|---|
| DOJ-Budget-Data.csv | Exercise 3 | Fictional DOJ program office FY2026 budget allocations for Excel analysis |
| DOJ-After-Action-Report.md | Exercises 2 & 3 | Fictional after-action report for Operation Safe Communities 2026, a multi-agency coordinated enforcement operation |
| DOJ-Training-Calendar.csv | Exercises 2 & 3 | Fictional DOJ 2026 law enforcement training and conference schedule |
- Download the CopilotResources.zip file provided by your facilitator.
- Save it to your Desktop.
- Right-click the file and select Extract All… to unzip it to your Desktop.
These files are used throughout the exercises — have them ready before starting Exercise 1.
- Microsoft 365 work account with Copilot Chat access (GCC: M365 F1/F3/G3/G5 or Office 365 F1/F3/G3/G5)
- Web browser (Microsoft Edge recommended)
- Access to Microsoft Teams, Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint