AI & the Duty of Competence: Ethical Risks, Best Practices, and Model Rule 1.1

This program examines how artificial intelligence and modern legal technology intersect with a lawyer's ethical obligation to provide competent representation under Model Rule 1.1 and related Rules, ethics opinions and case law. Attendees will learn how AI tools, from generative drafting platforms to AI-powered research, intake, and document review systems, are rapidly becoming part of everyday legal practice, and how lawyers must understand both the benefits and risks of these tools to meet their ethical obligations.

While competence rules do not require lawyers to become programmers, they do require sufficient understanding to select appropriate tools, supervise their use, verify outputs, and implement reasonable safeguards. This program will benefit attorneys at all levels of practice who want to use AI and technology effectively while maintaining ethical compliance and reducing malpractice exposure.

Learning Objectives:

1. Explore how Model Rule 1.1 and related rules and law duty apply to artificial intelligence and modern legal technology

2. Identify the ethical risks associated with AI tools, including hallucinations, confidentiality breaches, bias, and inadequate supervision

3. Implement practical risk-management strategies to use AI and emerging technologies in a manner consistent with ethical obligations and competent representation