Attorneys, arbitrators, judicial officers, and alternative resolution providers

The law requires human professional judgment, accuracy checks, confidentiality protections, and disclosure when generative AI is used in legal work. It also strengthens confidential complaint procedures for certified alternative dispute-resolution providers.

What the law does ​

• Bars attorneys from delegating the practice of law to generative AI and requires them to verify and correct AI-generated work.
• Prohibits lawyers from placing confidential, personal identifying, or other nonpublic information into AI systems unless access is restricted to authorized people bound to protect confidentiality.
• Requires attorneys to disclose AI use in every document submitted to a court and personally verify every citation filed with a court.
• Bars arbitrators from delegating any decisionmaking to generative AI and requires advance disclosure and, when practical, party comment before using AI-generated information outside the record.
• Requires the Judicial Council to publicly revisit and revise judicial-administration standards as needed for further AI development.
• Requires the State Bar of California or an approved professional organization to receive, investigate, and resolve ethical complaints against certified alternative dispute-resolution firms, providers, and practitioners.
• Makes those complaint proceedings private and confidential, while allowing limited public disclosure after a decision and exempting complaint materials from public-records disclosure.

Who it affects ​

• Attorneys using generative AI in California legal practice.
• Clients, parties, witnesses, victims, and court personnel whose nonpublic information may be handled in legal work.
• Arbitrators and parties in arbitration.
• Certified alternative dispute-resolution firms, providers, practitioners, and mediators.
• The Judicial Council and the State Bar of California.

Context ​

The law preserves existing duties of attorney competence, diligence, confidentiality, and arbitrator neutrality.