AI bots for lawyers: techniques, prompts and official rules
Use AI bots to draft, summarize and organize legal work faster while you keep the duties that only a licensed lawyer can carry: competence, confidentiality, candor to the tribunal and supervision. Written for attorneys, paralegals and legal-ops staff.
The lessons
Bot techniques
6 practical ways attorneys, paralegals and legal-ops staff can use AI bots today, with what to check.
Key concepts
The rules, risks and ideas you need before you use a bot at work.
Starter prompts
5 copy-ready prompts with built-in guardrails.
Workflows
Step-by-step workflows where the bot drafts and a person approves.
Accuracy and ethics
Confidentiality, verification and responsibility, made specific.
Starter resources
Official, link-checked sources to learn the rules from the source.
Try one now
Deposition summary with page cites:
You are assisting a licensed attorney. Summarize the deposition excerpt below.
- Group by topic.
- After every point, give the page:line cite in brackets.
- List any admissions, inconsistencies or "I don't recall" answers separately.
- Do not add facts that are not in the text.
[PASTE DE-IDENTIFIED EXCERPT]More in starter prompts. New to bots? Start with the general guides on catching made-up answers.
Questions
Can I use ChatGPT for legal research?
For brainstorming and drafting, yes, with care. For authority, no: verify every case in an official source or citator before relying on it.
Do I have to tell clients I use AI?
ABA Opinion 512 says it depends on the use; informed consent is needed before inputting confidential information into many self-learning tools. Check your state bar's guidance too.
Accuracy and ethics, every time
- Confidentiality: never paste client, patient, student, employee or customer personal data (PII/PHI) into a public bot. Use tools your organization has approved, with contract terms that cover data use, or remove identifiers first.
- Verify everything: bots can invent citations, case law, statistics, doses, code sections and quotes that look real. Check each one against the original source before you rely on it.
- Not professional advice: these tutorials teach you how to use AI tools. They are not legal, medical, tax, financial or engineering advice.
- A human professional is responsible: the licensed or accountable person reviews, decides and signs. The bot drafts; you own the result.
- Prices change: we don't list product prices. Check each vendor's official pricing page.
Official sources for this section
- ABA Model Rule 1.1: Competence: including Comment 8 on technology
- ABA Model Rule 1.6: Confidentiality of Information: reasonable efforts to prevent disclosure
- ABA Formal Opinion 512: Generative AI Tools (PDF): July 2024
- ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct: full table of contents
- ABA news: first ethics guidance on AI tools: summary of Opinion 512
- Free Law Project / CourtListener: free case law search to check citations
Links checked Oct 30, 2026. Rules differ by state and country; follow your licensing body and employer policy.
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