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AI Clauses for Your Engagement Agreement

Two clauses you can lift into your engagement agreement or attach as an addendum: one disclosing your firm's use of AI, one addressing your client's. Print this page or save it as a PDF from your browser.

These are templates. Adapt them to your practice, your clients, and your jurisdiction, and run them past your own review before using them.

Addendum A – Firm's Use of AI

Use of Artificial Intelligence Tools.

To assist in providing efficient and cost-effective legal services, our firm may use artificial intelligence (AI) platforms when working on your matter, including tools designed specifically for legal professionals that assist with drafting, research, and document review.

We use AI platforms that maintain appropriate confidentiality and security protections, including encryption and data isolation. We do not input confidential client information into public AI tools that lack adequate safeguards. We will review all AI-generated output for accuracy and completeness, and we will independently verify any legal authorities before relying on them in your matter.

We will bill only for the actual time we spend using AI tools and reviewing their output, not for time hypothetically saved. Some AI tools carry third-party costs, which we will disclose to you and may charge to your matter as a cost.

By signing this agreement, you acknowledge that you have read and understand the above and consent to our firm's use of AI tools as described.

Example – per-page AI tools, such as Legion:

Our firm uses Legion, an AI drafting platform built for litigators that bills on a per-page basis. Because Legion can complete in hours work that would traditionally take days or weeks, it often produces significant cost savings and better results for you. These per-page charges are billed to your matter as a cost and itemized on a monthly invoice, so they can be recouped as a case expense.

Addendum B – Client's Use of AI

Use of Artificial Intelligence.

“AI tools” means chatbots and other programs that generate, summarize, or rewrite text for you, such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Copilot, and the AI features now built into search engines, email, and word processors.

Why this matters for your case.

Your private information can stop being private. Normally, what you share with us is protected by something called the attorney-client privilege, a rule that keeps our communications confidential and out of the other side's hands. If you type details about your case into a public AI tool, you may be handing that information to an outside company, and that can destroy the protection. Once it is gone, the other side may be entitled to demand and read what you shared. (Lawyers call information the other side can force you to turn over “discoverable.”)

The AI can simply be wrong. These tools regularly produce answers that are incomplete, misleading, or entirely made up, including fake court cases that look real. Relying on them can give you a false picture of your case and cost extra time and money to untangle.

It can get you in trouble with the court. Using AI in your case can violate court rules and orders, which can lead to penalties.

What we ask of you.

Keep case information out of AI tools. Don't enter documents, our communications, or anything you've received in the case.

Don't present AI's work as your own. If you used AI to write or research something you send us, tell us.

Tell us if you've used AI at all in connection with your case, so we can address any problems early.

Rely on us, not the AI, for legal advice. We are your lawyers; the AI is not, and it should not guide decisions about your matter.

How we use AI.

We may use AI tools ourselves, for research, drafting, and review, but always with the safeguards described above, and always with a licensed attorney checking the work before we rely on it or send it to you.

If these rules aren't followed.

You could lose the privacy protections on your information, face penalties from the court, run up extra fees to fix the problem, and, in serious or repeated cases, we may have to stop representing you.