Regulation Tracker / United States (state)
Legal Ethics Opinion 1901: Reasonable Fees and the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence
Virginia State Bar (approved by the Supreme Court of Virginia) · Virginia
last revised 2025-11-24last verified 2026-09-041 versioncountry page →
country page →Ethics opinionIn forceCompetenceDisclosure
map categories:Billing for AI workBar guidance on generative AIClient consent and transparency
Unverified: we have not yet opened the official document at the linked address. The record is listed for completeness and excluded from search indexes until confirmed.
LEO 1901 addresses how Virginia lawyers may bill for work assisted by generative AI. It concludes that value-based and flat fees may reflect efficiency gains, the skill of effectively incorporating the technology, and the value of the output, and remain reasonable under Rule 1.5(a); a lawyer need not reduce a flat or value-based fee solely because AI accelerated the work.
- Applies to
- lawyers, firms
- Effective
- 24 Nov 2025
- Current version
- Approved · 24 Nov 2025
- Last verified
- 04 Sept 2026
- Official text
- vsb.org/common/Uploaded%20files/LEOs/1901.pdf
What the document requires
- Value-based fees may reflect efficiency gains and the specialised skill of effectively incorporating AI, and remain reasonable under Rule 1.5(a)
- A lawyer is not ethically required to reduce a flat or value-based fee solely because generative AI accelerated the work
- The 'skill requisite to perform the legal service properly' may increase when using AI
- Rule 1.5(b) may require additional explanation of why the lawyer's experience or technical skill contributes value even where time spent has fallen
Version history
| Version | Date | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Approvedcurrent | 2025-11-24 | Approved by the Supreme Court of Virginia and effective immediately; VSB Council approved the proposed opinion on 12 June 2025 | official |
Sources
Cite this record
SafeLegalAI Legal AI Regulation Tracker, "Legal Ethics Opinion 1901: Reasonable Fees and the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence" (Virginia State Bar (approved by the Supreme Court of Virginia), Approved, 2025-11-24), safelegalai.com/regulation/us-state/us-va-legal-ethics-opinion-1901 (accessed 2026-09-04). Data: CC BY 4.0.
More official documents in United States (state)
- Connecticut Judicial Branch, Committee on Artificial Intelligence in the Connecticut Legal System: Final Report · Connecticut Judicial Branch
- Connecticut Practice Book Section 4-9: Generative Artificial Intelligence Compliance · Connecticut Judicial Branch
- In re Amendments to Article V, Rule 1.1 of the Supreme Court Rules (Professional Conduct) and Adoption of Interim Generative AI Guidelines · RI Supreme Court
- Ohio Ethics Guide: Artificial Intelligence for Lawyers and Judicial Officers · Ohio Board of Professional Conduct
- 22 NYCRR Part 161 — Use of Artificial Intelligence Technology · NY Unified Court System
- In re Amendments to Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.515 (generative AI), SC2026-0673 · Florida Supreme Court