Practice Law With AI (Without Losing Your Law License)

In May 2023, a federal judge in New York discovered six fake cases cited in a plaintiff’s attorney’s brief. The lawyer’s response? He used ChatGPT and was “unaware of the possibility that its contents could be false.” The subsequent sanctions hearing spurred much conversation in the legal community. Should lawyers steer clear of AI tools like ChatGPT? Or would prohibiting the use of AI altogether be a disservice to lawyers and their clients? So long as lawyers understand the limitations of the technology and their responsibilities under the rules of professional conduct, AI tools have the potential to greatly benefit their practice.

Topics covered include:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Legal Ethics Legal Industry Trends Legal Tech

Agenda:

When AI Is Wrong: Mata v. Avianca, Inc.

A review of Mata v. Avianca, Inc., where a New York attorney was sanctioned for submitting a brief written with ChatGPT that cited fake cases, quotes, and citations
How judges and courts are responding to the use of AI by lawyers

What Is AI?

AI is a tool used to imitate intelligent human behavior
Tools like generative AI are not programmed, they are trained
How does an AI tool like ChatGPT work?
The advantages and disadvantages of AI

Using AI in Your Practice

Communications
Research
Contracts
Pleadings
Discovery
Trial
Marketing

The Ethics of Using AI in Your Practice

ABA Model Rule 1.1 (Comment 8)
ABA Model Rule 5.3
ABA Formal Opinion 506
ABA Model Rule 3.3
ABA Model Rule 1.6
Other potential issues, including data breaches, copyright, etc.

Questions & Answers

Duration of this webinar: 60 minutes

Originally broadcast: July 31, 2023 12:00 PM PT

Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Credits

*CLE credit is only available to Justia Connect Pros. Not a Pro? Upgrade today>>

California CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.00 General

Earn Credit Until: July 30, 2025

South Carolina CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.00 General

Difficulty: All Levels

Earn Credit Until: December 31, 2025

North Carolina CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.00 Ethics

Earn Credit Until: February 28, 2026

Texas CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.00 Legal Ethics/Professional Responsibility

Earn Credit Until: January 31, 2026

This presentation is approved for one hour of General CLE credit in California, one hour of General CLE credit in South Carolina (all levels), and one hour of Ethics CLE credit in North Carolina. This course has been approved for Minimum Continuing Legal Education credit by the State Bar of Texas Committee on MCLE in the amount of 1.00 credit hours, of which 1.00 credit hours will apply to Legal Ethics/Professional Responsibility credit.

Justia only reports attendance in jurisdictions in which a particular Justia CLE Webinar is officially accredited. Lawyers may need to self-submit their certificates for CLE credit in jurisdictions not listed above.

Note that CLE credit, including partial credit, cannot be earned outside of the relevant accreditation period. To earn credit for a course, a lawyer must watch the entire course within the relevant accreditation period. Lawyers who have viewed a presentation multiple times may not be able to claim credit in their jurisdiction more than once. Justia reserves the right, at its discretion, to grant an attendee partial or no credit, in accordance with viewing duration and other methods of verifying course completion.

At this time, Justia only offers CLE courses officially accredited in certain states. Lawyers may generate a generic attendance certificate to self-submit credit in their own jurisdiction, but Justia does not guarantee that lawyers will receive their desired CLE credit through the self-submission or reciprocity process.

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Speakers

Kara Simon Editorial Team Member at Justia

Kara Simon is a lawyer and a member of the Justia Editorial Team. In this role, she blends her knowledge of the law with her skill in crafting engaging and approachable content. She earned her B.A. in writing from John Carroll University and her J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, where she served as the Technical Production Editor of the Annals of Health Law and Life Sciences and a Health Justice Project Fellow. Before joining Justia, Kara worked as a litigation attorney in Chicago.

Marina J. Wilson Associate Attorney
DeShazo Adams, LLC

Marina J. Wilson’s practice includes employment, education, and other civil matters. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia and earned her J.D. cum laude from the Louisiana State University Law Center. While at LSU Law, Marina received the 2nd Place Best Oralist award in the Dean’s Cup Competition, was a Semifinalist at the National Energy & Sustainability Moot Court Competition, and earned recognition for her academic performance. Prior to returning to practice, Marina worked on free law projects and legal marketing solutions at Justia.

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