The Alabama State Bar has released “Artificial Intelligence Use: Best Practices Under Existing Professional Conduct Rules,” clarifying how existing duties under the Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct apply to AI tools rather than creating new obligations. It draws on ABA Formal Opinion 512 and references Ibach v. Stewart, Mata v. Avianca, and Johnson v. Dunn. Lawyers must understand a tool’s capabilities and limitations under Rule 1.1, verify every AI-generated citation before filing (Rules 3.1 and 3.3), safeguard client information (Rule 1.6), disclose AI use where it affects fees or work (Rules 1.4 and 1.5), supervise staff using AI (Rules 5.1 and 5.3), and check court-specific disclosure rules. The guidance addresses agentic AI risks, recommends written AI-use policies, enterprise over free consumer tools, and includes a quick-reference checklist covering prompt design, verification, documentation, and human review.
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