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Regulation Tracker / United States (state)

Joint Formal Opinion 2024-200: Ethical Issues Regarding the Use of Artificial Intelligence

Pennsylvania Bar Association Committee on Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility and Philadelphia Bar Association Professional Guidance Committee · Pennsylvania

last revised 2024-05-22last verified 2026-09-041 versioncountry page →

Ethics opinionIn forceCompetenceVerification dutyConfidentialityClient consentSupervision

map categories:Bar guidance on generative AIDuty to verify AI outputClient data in AI toolsBilling for AI workTechnological competenceClient consent and transparency

A joint opinion of the Pennsylvania and Philadelphia bar ethics committees concluding that, with appropriate safeguards, lawyers may use AI consistently with the Pennsylvania Rules of Professional Conduct. It sets out twelve best practices spanning truthfulness, citation verification, competence, confidentiality, conflicts, client communication, bias, misuse, billing, professional judgment and transparency.

Applies to
lawyers, firms
Effective
See version history
Current version
Original · 22 May 2024
Last verified
04 Sept 2026
Official text
www.pabar.org/Members/catalogs/Ethics%20Opinions/Formal/Joint%20Formal…

What the document requires

  • With appropriate safeguards, lawyers may use AI in accordance with the Pennsylvania Rules of Professional Conduct
  • Lawyers must be competent in the use of AI technologies and must verify that citations accurately reflect the content referenced
  • Lawyers must safeguard client information and ensure AI systems handling it adhere to strict confidentiality measures
  • Lawyers must communicate with clients about their AI use and, if necessary, obtain consent before using certain AI tools
  • AI-related expenses must be reasonable and appropriately disclosed to clients
  • Lawyers should be transparent with clients, colleagues and the courts about AI use, including its limitations and uncertainties
  • AI does not replace personal review of cases, statutes and other legislative materials

Version history

VersionDateWhat changedSource
Originalcurrent2024-05-22Initial publicationofficial

Sources

Cite this record

SafeLegalAI Legal AI Regulation Tracker, "Joint Formal Opinion 2024-200: Ethical Issues Regarding the Use of Artificial Intelligence" (Pennsylvania Bar Association Committee on Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility and Philadelphia Bar Association Professional Guidance Committee, Original, 2024-05-22), safelegalai.com/regulation/us-state/us-pa-joint-formal-opinion-2024-200 (accessed 2026-09-04). Data: CC BY 4.0.

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