Course Overview

Generative AI has moved from novelty to daily tool in law practice, and the rules of professional conduct have followed it. Florida amended the comments to Rules 4-1.1, 4-1.6, 4-5.1, and 4-5.3 in 2024, The Florida Bar issued Ethics Opinion 24-1, the ABA issued Formal Opinion 512, and on June 15, 2026 Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.515(d)(2) began treating every signature as a representation that the cited authorities exist and are accurately cited. Courts from the Southern District of New York to Florida’s Second District have sanctioned, fined, suspended, and referred lawyers who relied on unverified AI output.

This course teaches attorneys how to apply those authorities to the decisions they actually face: whether a tool may receive client information, what consent must say, how to supervise staff and the tool itself, how to verify a filing and what to do when an error is found, when to tell a client, how to bill, what a client-facing chatbot may say, and how to write a firm policy that courts have credited. Each section ties the technology to competent representation, confidentiality, candor, and supervision. The course is designed for Florida CLE accreditation in the ethics and technology categories. Learners finish with a verification protocol, consent and billing rules on one card, a policy checklist, and a plan for monitoring the developments still pending as of October 2026.

What You Will Learn

• Explain how the duties of competence and technology competence under Florida Rule 4-1.1 and ABA Model Rule 1.1 apply to a lawyer's use of generative AI, and identify what a reasonable understanding of a tool requires.
• Analyze when entering client information into a generative AI tool requires informed consent under Florida Rule 4-1.6, Florida Bar Ethics Opinion 24-1, and ABA Formal Opinion 512, and draft consent language that is more than boilerplate.
• Apply the supervisory duties of Florida Rules 4-5.1 and 4-5.3 to lawyers, nonlawyer staff, and AI tools, including the firm policies and training those rules contemplate.
• Evaluate the sanctions record from Mata v. Avianca through the 2026 Florida decisions, identify the recurring failure patterns, and explain what a signature represents under Florida Rule 2.515(d)(2) and Federal Rule 11.
• Implement a defensible verification protocol for AI-assisted filings using the Six-Step Validation Checklist, including documentation, second review, and candid correction of discovered errors.
• Determine when and how to disclose AI use to clients, bill for AI-assisted work, and deploy client-facing AI consistently with Rules 4-1.4, 4-1.5, 4-1.18, and 4-7.13.
• Assess realistic practice scenarios and draft a firm generative AI policy that maps each element to a rule of professional conduct, with a plan for monitoring pending developments.

Who Should Take This Course

• Attorneys at small and mid-size firms who use or supervise the use of generative AI
• Managing partners and lawyers responsible for firm technology policy
• Litigators who sign filings prepared with AI assistance
• Paralegals and legal operations professionals who support AI-assisted work

Course Outline

1. Section 1: The Rules Framework
   • Lesson 1.1: Competence and Technology Competence
   • Lesson 1.2: Confidentiality and Informed Consent
   • Lesson 1.3: Supervision of Lawyers, Staff, and the Tool
   • Quiz 1: The Rules Framework
2. Section 2: Candor, Verification, and the Courts
   • Lesson 2.1: The Sanctions Record
   • Lesson 2.2: Florida Rule 2.515 and the Certification Landscape
   • Lesson 2.3: A Defensible Verification Protocol
   • Quiz 2: Candor, Verification, and the Courts
3. Section 3: Clients, Fees, and the Public
   • Lesson 3.1: Communication and Disclosure to Clients
   • Lesson 3.2: Fees and Billing for AI-Assisted Work
   • Lesson 3.3: Client-Facing AI and Advertising
   • Quiz 3: Clients, Fees, and the Public
4. Section 4: Scenarios and the Firm Policy
   • Lesson 4.1: Four Scenarios Worked Through
   • Lesson 4.2: Writing the Firm's Generative AI Policy
   • Lesson 4.3: Staying Current
   • Quiz 4: Scenarios and the Firm Policy
5. LGTAI301 Final Exam (22 questions, 80 percent to pass)

Course Details

• Level: Intermediate
• Instruction: 82 narrated minutes (1 hour 22 minutes), plus quizzes and a final exam
• Prerequisites: Basic familiarity with generative AI tools. LGTAI101 AI Fundamentals for Legal Professionals is recommended but not required.
• Format: Self-paced online course with narrated lessons, interactive exercises, section quizzes, and a graded final exam

Materials Included

• Student handbook (PDF)
• Quick reference card: verification protocol and consent, billing, and disclosure rules (PDF)
• Glossary and annotated source list (PDF)
• Firm generative AI policy checklist (PDF)

Continuing Legal Education

This course is designed for Florida CLE accreditation (anticipated request: 1.5 General, 1.5 Technology, 1.5 Ethics). CLE accreditation is pending; no credit is approved until The Florida Bar issues a course number.

How to Use This Course

• Complete the sections in order; each builds on the last.
• Work through every interactive exercise before taking the section quiz.
• Pass each quiz and the final exam with a score of 80 percent or higher to earn your certificate of completion.
• Keep the student handbook and quick reference card for use in practice.

Current as of October 2026. Product names, vendor policies, rules, and court decisions discussed in this course change; the course is reviewed on an annual cycle.