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Missouri Informal Opinion 2024-11: lawyer's use of generative artificial intelligence

Missouri Office of Legal Ethics Counsel · Missouri

last revised 2024-04-25last verified 2026-09-041 versioncountry page →

Ethics opinionIn forceCompetenceConfidentialityVerification dutySupervision

map categories:Bar guidance on generative AIBilling for AI workClient data in AI toolsDuty to verify AI outputTechnological competenceSupervision of AI workDisclosure of AI use in filings

Missouri's ethics counsel answered a firm asking how to build a generative-AI policy. The opinion walks through competence and training, platform assessment and confidentiality safeguards, obedience to court AI rules, professional independence, verification of AI output as nonlawyer work, supervision, fee reasonableness and candour toward the tribunal.

Applies to
lawyers, firms
Effective
See version history
Current version
Informal Opinion 2024-11 · 25 Apr 2024
Last verified
04 Sept 2026
Official text
mo-legal-ethics.org/informal-opinion/2024-11/

What the document requires

  • Lawyers must obtain education and training to determine which generative AI is appropriate for firm use (Rule 4-1.1 and Comment [6])
  • Before use, assess the platform's terms and conditions, the security of information input, how that information is used, and what data sources produce responses (Rule 4-1.6)
  • Make reasonable efforts to prevent inadvertent or unauthorised disclosure or access, including by supervised persons (Rule 4-1.6(c), Comments [15] and [16])
  • Rule 4-3.4(c) prohibits knowingly disobeying an obligation under a tribunal's rules, which reaches court AI orders
  • Lawyers must maintain professional independence and may not rely solely on AI-generated content (Rule 4-5.4)
  • AI-assisted work must be verified for accuracy and content as with any nonlawyer assistance (Rule 4-5.3)
  • Managers and supervisors must ensure conformity and provide appropriate training (Rule 4-5.1, 4-5.3)
  • Consider how generative AI affects the reasonableness of fees (Rule 4-1.5(a))
  • Generative AI is not always accurate, so competence and supervision are needed to avoid false statements of material fact or law to a tribunal (Rule 4-3.3)

Version history

VersionDateWhat changedSource
Informal Opinion 2024-11current2024-04-25Adopted by the Office of Legal Ethics Counselofficial

Sources

Cite this record

SafeLegalAI Legal AI Regulation Tracker, "Missouri Informal Opinion 2024-11: lawyer's use of generative artificial intelligence" (Missouri Office of Legal Ethics Counsel, Informal Opinion 2024-11, 2024-04-25), safelegalai.com/regulation/us-state/us-mo-informal-opinion-2024-11 (accessed 2026-09-04). Data: CC BY 4.0.

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