OHIOEthics opinion
Ohio Board of Professional Conduct issues nonbinding AI ethics guide for lawyers, judges and magistrates
The Ohio Board of Professional Conduct published Artificial Intelligence for Lawyers and Judicial Officers: Ohio Ethics Guide at the Supreme Court of Ohio's request, Court News Ohio reported on June 30, 2026. The nonbinding guide applies the Rules of Professional Conduct and the Code of Judicial Conduct to AI use, covering verification, confidentiality, billing, candor to tribunals and judges' independent decision-making.
Opinion (Ohio Board of Professional Conduct) → · Court News Ohio
Key points
- A lawyer should never rely solely on AI output without independently verifying it against the original source materials, the guide says.Ohio Board of Professional Conduct
- Lawyers may bill only for time actually spent, not the time a task would have taken without AI.Ohio Board of Professional Conduct
- A judge should never use AI to decide the ultimate conclusion in a case and should avoid using it for a decision's first draft.Ohio Board of Professional Conduct
- The guide says Ethics Guides give nonbinding advice from Board staff and do not reflect the Board's views.Ohio Board of Professional ConductCourt News Ohio
- It applies to Ohio lawyers, judges and magistrates, according to Court News Ohio.Court News Ohio
Sources2 articles across 2 outlets
Court News Ohio
Ohio Board of Professional Conduct
Filed under
Ethics opinionOhioOhio Ethics Guide: Artificial Intelligence for Lawyers and Judicial OfficersProfessional responsibilityTechnologyFor practitionersFor governance