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Hinweise zum Einsatz von künstlicher Intelligenz (KI)

Bundesrechtsanwaltskammer (German Federal Bar)

last revised 2024-12-01last verified 2026-09-041 versioncountry page →

GuidanceIn forceVerification dutyConfidentialityCompetenceSupervisionPermissive

map categories:Bar guidance on generative AIDuty to verify AI outputClient data in AI toolsTechnological competenceSupervision of AI workClient consent and transparencyVendor due diligenceHorizontal AI statuteMandatory AI training

The German Federal Bar's orientation guide, dated December 2024 and announced on 9 January 2025, on using AI in a law firm consistently with professional law. Eight sections read §§ 43, 43a(2), 43e BRAO and § 5 BORA onto AI tools, set out the AI Act duties that fall on lawyers as deployers, and flag copyright, tax and professional-indemnity risks.

Applies to
lawyers, firms
Effective
See version history
Current version
Stand Dezember 2024 · 01 Dec 2024
Last verified
04 Sept 2026
Official text
www.brak.de/fileadmin/service/publikationen/Handlungshinweise/BRAK_Lei…

What the document requires

  • § 43 BRAO and the principle of personal performance require independent review and final control of all AI output; AI may support but not replace legal work.
  • § 43a(2) BRAO confidentiality: prompts should be abstract and documents anonymised; under § 43e BRAO, transmitting client secrets to a public LLM is not 'necessary' and is therefore impermissible.
  • § 43e BRAO requires careful provider selection, a contract in at least text form with the statutory minimum content, immediate termination if safeguards lapse, and comparable secrecy protection for foreign providers.
  • Neither BRAO nor BORA currently obliges a lawyer to tell the client that AI was used, though transparency and a contractual clause are recommended.
  • Article 4 AI Act applies to law firms as 'Betreiber' from 2 February 2025; staff instructions and training are an essential part of responsible use.
  • Law-firm AI tools are normally not high-risk, because Annex III point 8(a) targets judicial authorities rather than the bar.

Version history

VersionDateWhat changedSource
Stand Dezember 2024current2024-12-01First edition, announced by BRAK on 9 January 2025. Authored by Dr Frank Remmertz, chair of the BRAK's RDG committee. Month-only date: the source gives the month, so the 1st is recorded as the date.official

Sources

Cite this record

SafeLegalAI Legal AI Regulation Tracker, "Hinweise zum Einsatz von künstlicher Intelligenz (KI)" (Bundesrechtsanwaltskammer (German Federal Bar), Stand Dezember 2024, 2024-12-01), safelegalai.com/regulation/other/de-brak-ki-leitfaden (accessed 2026-09-04). Data: CC BY 4.0.

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