The eight-point check
- Confidentiality. Kept client-identifying facts out of the tool
- Competence. I understand this tool's limits for this task
- Grounding. The model worked from sources I trust
- Verification. I opened and confirmed every citation myself
- Judgment. I made the strategic calls, not the model
- Candor. Everything I will file is actually true
- Supervision. I reviewed this like a new associate's draft
- Record. I can explain later how this work was produced
The duties behind the check
| Duty | Texas rule | What it means for AI use |
|---|---|---|
| Competence and diligence | 1.01 | Understand the tool well enough to use it, or do not use it. |
| Confidentiality | 1.05 | Client information stays protected, including from the tools you type it into. |
| Supervision of nonlawyers | 5.01, 5.03 | Treat AI as an assistant whose work you must check. You own the result. |
| Candor to the tribunal | 3.03 | What you file must be true because you confirmed it. |
Rule numbers reference the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct and are illustrative. Confirm the current text before relying on them. Nothing here is legal advice.
Do and do not
✓ Do
- Use AI to draft, summarize, outline, and brainstorm angles
- Ground it in statutes, opinions, and your own materials
- Verify every citation in a real database before you cite it
- Use fictional or de-identified facts in consumer tools
- Keep the final judgment, and the signature, yours
✗ Do not
- File any citation you have not personally read
- Paste privileged or client-identifying facts into consumer tools
- Treat a confident answer as a verified one
- Let the model choose strategy or make the client's call
- Assume grounding or a clean format removes your duty to check
Document · review · verify
Document
What you used
Which tool, for which task, on what facts. One line in the file is enough.
Review
Read it fully
Read the output as the responsible attorney. Edit for accuracy, tone, and fit.
Verify
Confirm the law
Confirm every authority and factual claim against a real source before it goes anywhere.