California State Bar’s proposed AI ethics rules put attorneys on notice, Published in the Daily Journal Los Angeles

In an article published on June 12 in the Daily Journal Los Angeles, Segal McCambridge Shareholder Daniel Butler examines California's State Bar Standing Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct’s (COPRAC) proposed AI ethics rule changes and their implications for California attorneys' professional responsibilities. The article explains how staying up to date with regulatory changes surrounding artificial intelligence is now a non-negotiable.  

Butler explains, “The proposed amendments primarily add comments to the Rules that address one central issue: the use of AI in tandem with legal research and writing, and the pitfalls associated with careless or inappropriate use of AI. Until now, the State Bar had not explicitly codified an attorney’s duty with respect to the use of artificial intelligence into its Rules of Professional Conduct.”  

Attorneys and firms should treat AI-assisted research and writing as work requiring independent judgment, verification, and oversight. Butler also highlights that legal databases and AI review tools can help identify false citations quickly, but because these tools can hallucinate, they cannot replace an attorney’s obligation to cross-reference each citation, word, and reference used in client work.  

“Attorneys must review each citation to ensure its accuracy,” Butler writes. “Treat AI like a junior law clerk, where oversight and guidance is very much still required.” 

Read the article in full, click here.