Generative AI and Legal Ethics

Overview: 

This 1-hour course, Generative AI and Legal Ethics, explores the ethical responsibilities of legal professionals when integrating generative AI into legal practice. It highlights key concerns such as maintaining competence, ensuring confidentiality, fair billing practices, and preventing unauthorized practice of law. Participants will gain insights into effectively using AI tools, evaluating their reliability, supervising their use, and obtaining client consent where necessary. The course is designed for attorneys, judges, and ethics committee members interested in the ethical implications of AI. It includes discussions on Rule 1.5 fee issues, supervisory duties under Rules 5.3 and 5.5, ABA Formal Opinion 512, and real-world examples where AI misuse resulted in sanctions. No prerequisites are required.

Course Objective: 

• Understand the ethical duties involved in using generative AI in legal practice.
• Identify how competence, confidentiality, and fairness in billing apply when using AI tools.
• Learn how to assess the reliability and limitations of generative AI applications.
• Explore supervisory responsibilities under ABA Rules 5.3 and 5.5.
• Examine the need for client consent when AI is involved in legal work.
• Review key guidance, including ABA Formal Opinion 512.
• Analyze real-world scenarios where improper AI use led to ethical sanctions.
• Support ethical decision-making for attorneys, judges, and ethics committees considering AI use.

Target Audience: 

• Attorneys and legal practitioners integrating or supervising the use of generative AI
• Judges seeking to understand the ethical implications of AI in court proceedings
• Members of ethics committees evaluating AI-related conduct
• Law firm managers responsible for compliance and supervision of AI tools
• Legal educators and trainers focusing on technology and ethics in law
• In-house counsel advising organizations on AI use in legal services

Basic Knowledge:

No prior experience with generative AI or legal technology is required. This course is suitable for legal professionals at all levels who are interested in understanding the ethical implications of using AI in legal practice. A basic understanding of legal ethics and professional responsibility rules will be helpful but is not mandatory.