Technology,
Ethics/Professional Responsibility
Jul. 16, 2025
AI misuse and the 'snitch rule' in legal ethics
Attorneys increasingly use AI tools in their practice, but misuse of AI -- such as submitting fabricated case citations -- can trigger a reporting obligation under California Rule of Professional Conduct 8.3.
Merri A. Baldwin
Shareholder
Rogers Joseph O'Donnell
Phone: (415) 956-2828
Email: mbaldwin@rjo.com
Baldwin is a shareholder in the San Francisco office of Rogers Joseph O'Donnell. She is a former chair of the State Bar of California Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct and is a member of the California Lawyers Association Legal Ethics Committee. She also teaches professional responsibility at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law.
Attorneys increasingly utilize artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the practice of law, and they are doing so in myriad ways. From providing background or factual research, preparing preliminary drafts of pleadings or discovery, to more esoteric uses such as preparing a complex oral argument -- including responses to expected questions -- &nbs...
For only $95 a month (the price of 2 article purchases)
Receive unlimited article access and full access to our archives,
Daily Appellate Report, award winning columns, and our
Verdicts and Settlements.
Or
$795 for an entire year!
Or access this article for $45
(Purchase provides 7-day access to this article. Printing, posting or downloading is not allowed.)
Already a subscriber?
Sign In