The AI Record.
Legal AI news, regulatory updates, and ethics guidance — updated daily.
Photo by Sasun Bughdaryan on UnsplashSome NJ Lawyers Have Misused AI Technology, Chief Justice Says
New Jersey's Chief Justice has acknowledged that some NJ attorneys have misused AI technology in their practice, raising the profile of responsible AI adoption as a judicial concern in the state.
Photo by Maximalfocus on UnsplashWill AI Render Lawyers Obsolete?
The New York State Bar Association examines whether advancing AI will displace attorneys or instead redefine the value lawyers bring to clients. The piece is particularly relevant for solo and small-firm practitioners weighing where to invest their time and skills as AI automates more routine legal tasks.
New York considers bill that would ban chatbots from giving legal, medical advice
New York legislators are weighing a bill that would prohibit AI chatbots from dispensing legal or medical advice, a move that could directly affect how attorneys in the NY/NJ metro area use and offer AI-assisted client-facing tools.
Photo by Sasun Bughdaryan on UnsplashShadow AI Is Really a Workflow Problem
Unauthorized 'shadow AI' use in law firms is less a compliance crisis and more a symptom of broken workflows — attorneys reach for consumer AI tools when firm-sanctioned processes are too slow or inadequate. The piece argues that firms must fix underlying workflow gaps to bring AI use into the open and under proper governance.
Lawyer can't represent plaintiffs in morgue scandal because of past AI errors, judge says
A judge has disqualified an attorney from representing plaintiffs in a morgue scandal case, citing the lawyer's prior AI-generated citation errors as grounds for disqualification — marking a significant escalation in court consequences for unchecked AI use in legal work.
Photo by BoliviaInteligente on UnsplashUS Law Firm Willkie Partners With OpenAI
AmLaw 100 firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher has announced a direct partnership with OpenAI, marking one of the most prominent Big Law commitments to integrating OpenAI's technology into legal practice. The deal signals growing momentum for direct law firm–AI vendor relationships at the highest levels of the profession.
Photo by Sasun Bughdaryan on UnsplashCalifornia Ethics Panel Turns Up the Heat on Artificial Intelligence
California's state bar ethics panel is intensifying scrutiny of attorney AI use, issuing new guidance that raises the stakes for lawyers relying on generative AI tools in practice. The development signals a broader national trend of bar associations moving from passive observation to active regulation of AI in legal work.
Photo by Paul Wetzel on UnsplashPredictions for 2026: More AI, More Litigation | Esquire Deposition Solutions, LLC
Legal industry observers forecast that 2026 will bring an accelerating wave of AI-driven practice changes alongside a corresponding rise in AI-related litigation across multiple sectors.
New guidance, proposed rule changes on generative AI in legal practice
New bar guidance and proposed rule changes are reshaping how attorneys may use generative AI in client matters, touching on confidentiality, competence, and candor obligations. Solo and small-firm attorneys should take note as these proposals signal where formal ethics rules are heading nationally.
Photo by Deliberately AI on UnsplashOhio's New AI Ethics Guide: What Every Lawyer and Judge Needs to Know Right Now
Ohio has released a new AI ethics guide with practical guidance for lawyers and judges navigating generative AI in legal practice. The breakdown covers competence obligations, disclosure duties, and supervision requirements — directly applicable to any attorney thinking through their own AI governance.
Photo by Far Chinberdiev on UnsplashLegal AI adoption: How law firms and legal departments achieve time savings and revenue growth
Wolters Kluwer's latest research details how law firms and legal departments are translating AI adoption into measurable time savings and revenue gains. The data-driven findings offer small-firm attorneys a practical benchmark for evaluating their own AI investments.
Photo by Markus Winkler on UnsplashThe One About Passing AI Costs Through To Clients
As AI tools become standard practice for solos and small firms, regulators have yet to offer clear guidance on whether attorneys can pass those costs through to clients — leaving small and solo practitioners without the in-house ethics support that large firms enjoy. A must-read for NJ solos navigating billing ethics in the AI era.
Intapp Makes Celeste Generally Available, Calling It An 'AI Coworker' To Run the Business Side of Law Firms
Intapp has launched Celeste, an agentic AI product billed as an "expert AI coworker" that handles the business operations of law firms — from conflicts clearance to deal screening and workflow management. The general availability release marks a significant step toward fully autonomous back-office AI in legal practice.
Legal Tops All Other Business Units in AI Use, Raising the Stakes for GC Oversight - Law.com
A new report finds that legal departments now lead all other corporate business units in AI usage, putting heightened pressure on general counsel to implement robust oversight frameworks before operational costs spiral out of control.
Photo by Brecht Corbeel on UnsplashRelativity President Chris Brown on the Gavel Acquisition, Opening Up to Claude, and the 'Gangbusters' Growth of aiR
Newly named Relativity President Chris Brown discusses the company's acquisition of Gavel, its decision to open its platform to Anthropic's Claude, and the rapid growth of its AI-powered review product aiR. The interview offers a detailed look at how one of e-discovery's biggest players is evolving its AI strategy.
Photo by Steve A Johnson on UnsplashHarvey Buys Benchmark Asset Management Startup
Legal AI company Harvey has acquired Benchmark, a New York-based decision infrastructure platform for asset management, marking its expansion beyond core legal drafting and research tools into financial decision-making. The deal signals Harvey's ambition to position itself as a broader professional AI platform.
Photo by Markus Winkler on UnsplashWhat Law Firms Can Learn from AI Deployment - Law.com
Hanson Bridgett's firmwide rollout of Anthropic's Claude offers a real-world case study in responsible AI deployment, with the authors arguing that the firms winning at AI will be those that invest in governance, training, and change management—not just those who move fastest. AI literacy is framed as a core professional skill on par with legal research and writing.
Legal Decoder Introduces Aperture, A Natural Language Interface for Querying Legal Billing Data
Legal Decoder has launched Aperture, a natural language interface that lets law firms and legal departments query billing and spend data through plain-English conversation rather than complex reports. The tool extends AI-powered analytics to billing intelligence — a high-value area for small firms managing client costs and demonstrating value.
Photo by Melinda Gimpel on UnsplashLitera Relaunches Its Brand Around a Unified Vision: One AI Agent Spanning the Practice and Business of Law
Litera — one of the most widely deployed legal tech platforms — has relaunched around a single AI agent called Lito that unifies its practice and business tools into one interface backed by one dataset. For small firms already using Litera products, this signals a major architectural shift toward consolidated, agent-driven workflows.
Photo by Jackson Sophat on UnsplashLawyers Do Not Need An AI Ban. They Need An AI Duty Of Care.
Rather than prohibiting AI use outright, the legal profession should develop a clear duty-of-care standard that defines how attorneys must oversee, verify, and take responsibility for AI-assisted work product. The piece argues that a duty-of-care framework better serves clients and the profession than blanket restrictions.
Photo by BoliviaInteligente on UnsplashCalifornia State Bar's proposed AI ethics rules put attorneys on notice
The California State Bar has proposed formal AI ethics rules that would place new professional responsibility obligations on attorneys using AI tools in legal practice. The rules signal a broader national trend of bar associations moving from informal guidance to binding ethical frameworks for AI use.
Photo by Esra Korkmaz on UnsplashNavigating the AI Employment Landscape in 2026: Considerations and Best Practices for Employers
K&L Gates outlines key legal considerations for employers navigating AI in the workplace in 2026, covering hiring algorithms, workplace monitoring, and emerging federal and state regulatory obligations. The guidance is directly relevant to attorneys advising business clients on AI governance and compliance.
Photo by Drew Beamer on UnsplashIn Australia, AI Is Accelerating the Decline of the Billable Hour, Law Firms Say. But What Comes Next? - Law.com
Australian law firms report that AI tools are compressing the time needed for routine tasks, putting real pressure on hourly billing models as clients demand a share of the efficiency gains. The piece explores alternative fee structures firms are piloting as the billable hour faces its most serious structural challenge yet.
The Next Competitive Advantage Has Nothing to Do With AI - JD Supra
A thought-provoking essay argues that as AI becomes standard legal infrastructure — no more differentiating than email or Westlaw — solo and small firms will need to look elsewhere for competitive advantage, such as distinct voice, judgment, and client relationships.
Photo by atelierbyvineeth ... on UnsplashThe Next Frontier of Legal Technology: From Workflow to Foresight - Law.com
Beyond efficiency tools, a new class of AI-powered "legal intelligence" platforms is emerging that can detect legal risks and patterns before they escalate into litigation — shifting AI's role from drafting assistant to strategic foresight engine.
What's In A Wrapper? Comparing A Hershey Bar To LegalTech AI
LawNext takes on the "thin wrapper" debate in legal AI — arguing that, like a Hershey bar, the value of a product isn't just its core ingredient but how it's packaged, trained, and delivered, especially as open-source LLMs become more accessible. A timely read for attorneys evaluating competing AI vendors.
Photo by Bernd 📷 Dittrich on UnsplashLaw Firms Don't Have an AI Problem, They Have a Data Problem
The CEO of legal AI firm Centari argues that the real barrier to effective AI adoption in law firms is not the AI itself but poor underlying data infrastructure — firms that can't organize and access their own matter data will struggle to get value from any AI tool. A practical diagnostic for small firms wondering why AI isn't delivering results.
Photo by BoliviaInteligente on UnsplashLegal industry leaders in China explore compliance, ethics and trust risks in AI era - Wolters Kluwer
Drawing on the 2026 Future Ready Lawyer Survey, legal industry panelists highlight how AI is delivering major productivity gains in research, due diligence, and document management—while cautioning that most organizations still lack confidence in managing the associated compliance, data privacy, and ethics risks. Human oversight, governance frameworks, and transparency emerge as non-negotiable requirements for trustworthy AI-assisted legal work.
Photo by Aiper Pool Cleaner on UnsplashLitera 'Relaunches' With One Agent to Rule the Platform
Legal tech stalwart Litera has relaunched its platform around a single AI agent called Lito, designed to serve as the unified interface for both its business development and document management tools. The move reflects a broader industry shift toward agent-first legal software that consolidates workflows under one AI layer.
Meet Amazon Quick For Legal
Amazon has entered the legal AI space with a product called Amazon Quick for Legal, adding the tech giant to a crowded field that already includes Microsoft, Google, and Anthropic. The move signals that hyperscale cloud providers see the legal vertical as a serious target — raising both opportunity and vendor-selection questions for small firms.