Lawyers have an ethical duty to understand how AI usage not only implicates their own practice of law, but also how AI impacts the attorney-client relationship. Clients use AI to summarize emails, draft outlines, brainstorm arguments, and attempt to address situations before ever calling a lawyer. That behavior has created a new intake risk before a client matter even begins. Increasingly, the first intake questions are no longer just “When did this happen?” or “Was that agreement in writing?”  Intake questions must also include “Did you ask AI about this?”

As all attorneys know, maintaining an ethically sound practice is one of the fundamental requirements of the legal profession. Nowhere is this requirement more pronounced than in the representation of a family-owned business, which typically presents a variety of complex dynamics for the attorney’s consideration. Dealing with multiple familial owners—as well as the emotional ties between those owners—can often place lawyers in a difficult position, especially from an ethical perspective. However, as long as careful practices are adhered to, many potential ethical pitfalls can be easily avoided.