Free law firm AI use policy template
A complete, plain-English generative AI use policy template for law firms: approved-tool governance, confidentiality rules, a non-negotiable verification workflow, billing rules, supervision and training, client communication, and prohibited uses. Download it, adapt it with counsel, adopt it. No email wall.
What the template covers
The template maps each section to the duties that recur across ABA Formal Opinion 512 and the state instruments in the tracker: an approved-tools register (competence and confidentiality), anonymization and consent rules (Rule 1.6 analogues), a verification workflow that treats every output as a draft and independently checks every citation (candor), billing rules that never charge for time AI saved (reasonable fees), and supervision, training, and acknowledgment mechanics (Rules 5.1 and 5.3 analogues).
How to adapt it
Three customization points matter most. First, your consent posture: states range from no per se disclosure duty (Virginia's guidance, New Jersey's guidelines) to written informed consent (West Virginia), so the engagement-letter language in section 7 must match your jurisdictions. Second, your approved-tools list: consumer and enterprise tiers of the same product carry different terms, and the register in section 2 is where that diligence lives. Third, your court exposure: section 4 requires checking each judge's standing orders, which is where the court-order layer bites.
This is deliberately a static download rather than an interactive generator: a template you edit with counsel, not software that produces a legal document for your specific situation.
Frequently asked questions
Is this template enough on its own?
No. It is a sound starting structure reflecting the duties common to ABA Formal Opinion 512 and the state instruments in our tracker, but a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction must review and adapt it. Some states are stricter; West Virginia, for example, requires informed client consent confirmed in writing.
Why is it free with no email wall?
Because the gating pattern produces worse policies: people copy whatever they can see. The template, the tracker, and every guide on this site are ungated. If your firm wants help adapting and operationalizing a policy, that is what MHSB Solutions sells; the template does not depend on it.
Do bars require law firms to have an AI policy?
No bar flatly mandates a written AI policy yet, but the supervision duties in ABA Formal Opinion 512 and instruments like Arizona’s best practices guidance and Missouri’s Informal Opinion 2024-11 effectively require firms to have clear measures governing AI use. A written, acknowledged policy is how firms evidence those measures.
Is this an interactive document generator?
No, deliberately. It is a static template you download and edit. It does not collect facts about your firm or generate a customized legal document.
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For licensed attorneys and firm operators. This site is legal information, not legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is formed by using it. Rules change; verify against the primary sources linked on every page and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction before acting.