Artificial intelligence is becoming part of everyday life. Clients are using AI to ask legal questions, review documents, summarize correspondence, check attorney work, and better understand their legal matters. Lawyers and other professionals are also using AI tools to improve organization, efficiency, drafting, and research support.
AI can be helpful. It can explain general concepts, organize thoughts, prepare questions for a meeting, and help clients feel more informed.
But AI also comes with an important warning:
Just because AI gives you an answer does not mean the answer is correct, current, complete, or applicable to your specific situation.
AI legal advice can look authoritative and still be wrong.
This is especially important in legal matters, where the facts, jurisdiction, timing, procedural posture, and client goals all matter.
Florida’s New AI Court Filing Rule
On May 28, 2026, the Florida Supreme Court amended Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.515(d)(2) to address concerns relating to AI use in court filings. The amendment became effective June 15, 2026 at 12:01 a.m.
The amended rule adds a specific certification requirement. When an attorney or self-represented party signs and files a document with the court, the signer represents that:
“the legal authorities identified exist and are accurately cited.”
This means that if a filing includes cases, statutes, court rules, or other legal authorities, the person signing the document is certifying that those authorities are real and accurately cited.
This rule change is a direct reminder that AI-generated legal information must be checked, verified, and reviewed by a qualified legal professional before it is relied upon in court.
Why Clients Should Be Careful With AI Legal Advice
Many clients now use AI to help them understand legal documents or to ask follow-up questions after speaking with an attorney. That is understandable. Legal matters can be stressful, expensive, and difficult to navigate. Clients want to feel informed and prepared.
However, AI tools often provide general information. They do not always understand:
- The full facts of your case;
- The procedural history;
- The applicable jurisdiction;
- The current status of the law;
- The judge’s prior orders;
- The strategic risks involved;
- The difference between similar but legally distinct issues;
- The attorney’s full reasoning;
- The practical realities of negotiation, litigation, or court procedure.
A client may ask AI a legal question and receive an answer that sounds confident and polished. But that answer may be incomplete, outdated, or based on the wrong state’s law. It may also miss critical facts that change the legal analysis entirely.
In other words, AI may give you information — but your attorney provides legal judgment.
AI Can Be Helpful, But It Is Not Your Lawyer
AI can be a useful tool for clients when used appropriately. For example, clients may use AI to:
- Organize questions before a consultation;
- Summarize their own timeline of events;
- Learn basic legal terminology;
- Prepare a list of documents to discuss with counsel;
- Better understand general legal concepts;
- Draft notes for review by an attorney.
These uses can make attorney-client conversations more productive.
But clients should be cautious about using AI to:
- Second-guess legal advice without understanding the full context;
- Rewrite legal documents without attorney review;
- Challenge strategy based on generalized AI output;
- Rely on AI-generated case law or statutes;
- Assume AI has identified all risks;
- Compare their matter to a generic legal summary;
- Make filing, settlement, or planning decisions without counsel.
AI can assist with preparation. It should not replace legal advice.
Why AI Answers May Not Match Your Legal Situation
Legal advice is highly fact-specific. A small change in facts can change the outcome.
For example, an AI tool may correctly summarize a general rule but fail to account for:
- A deadline that has already passed;
- A contract provision that changes the analysis;
- A local court rule;
- A prior order in the case;
- A dispute over facts;
- A burden of proof issue;
- A tax consequence;
- A capacity issue;
- A fiduciary duty;
- A procedural defect;
- A settlement strategy;
- A client’s long-term goals.
AI may also provide information from another jurisdiction. This is particularly risky because laws vary significantly from state to state. A legal answer that may be generally accurate in one state may be wrong or incomplete in Florida.
This is why clients should bring AI-generated questions to their attorney rather than relying on the AI output itself.
A productive approach is:
“I asked AI about this issue and it raised these questions. Can you explain whether any of this applies to my situation?”
That allows your attorney to address the concern in context.
What This Means for Attorneys and Legal Professionals
The Florida Supreme Court’s rule amendment also serves as a caution for lawyers and legal professionals. AI may be used as a tool, but attorneys remain responsible for the work they sign, file, and present to the court.
AI tools can produce fake cases, inaccurate citations, outdated rules, and legal conclusions that sound authoritative but are not reliable. For that reason, lawyers should independently verify any legal authority before including it in a court filing.
Legal professionals should also be mindful of confidentiality. Client facts, documents, financial information, medical information, litigation strategy, and sensitive communications should not be entered into unauthorized AI tools without understanding how that information may be stored, used, or disclosed.
The Difference Between Information and Legal Advice
One of the most important distinctions for clients to understand is the difference between legal information and legal advice.
Legal information is general. It may explain a concept, define a term, or describe a broad rule.
Legal advice applies the law to your specific facts, risks, documents, deadlines, jurisdiction, and goals.
AI may provide legal information. Your attorney provides legal advice.
That distinction matters. Legal decisions can have long-term consequences. A document signed too quickly, a deadline missed, a filing made incorrectly, or a strategy misunderstood can create problems that are expensive or impossible to fix later.
A Better Way for Clients to Use AI
Clients do not need to avoid AI entirely. Instead, they should use it carefully and responsibly.
A better use of AI in a legal matter may include asking it to help prepare:
- A list of questions for your attorney;
- A timeline of events;
- A summary of documents you have;
- A checklist of concerns you want to discuss;
- A plain-language explanation of terms you do not understand.
Then, bring those questions and summaries to your attorney for review.
This approach allows clients to be more engaged without replacing professional judgment.
Questions Clients Should Ask Before Relying on AI Legal Information
Before relying on AI-generated legal information, clients should ask:
- Is this answer based on the correct state’s law?
- Is the information current?
- Does the answer account for my specific facts?
- Does this apply to my procedural posture or stage of the matter?
- Is there a court order, contract, will, trust, agreement, or filing that changes the analysis?
- Could relying on this answer create risk?
- Has my attorney reviewed this issue?
- Am I using AI to prepare better questions, or am I using it to replace legal advice?
The safest use of AI is to support communication with your attorney, not to substitute for it.
Practical Guidance for Clients
If you use AI during a legal matter, consider the following:
- Tell your attorney if AI raised a concern you want to discuss.
- Do not assume AI is correct just because the answer sounds detailed.
- Do not file AI-generated legal documents without attorney review.
- Do not rely on AI-generated case citations unless they have been verified.
- Do not input confidential or sensitive legal information into public AI tools without understanding the risks.
- Do not use AI as a substitute for legal strategy.
- Use AI to become more organized, not to replace professional advice.
Practical Guidance for Professionals
Professionals who use AI in client service, compliance, business operations, or legal-adjacent work should also proceed carefully.
AI may assist with drafting, summarizing, and organizing, but it should not be the final decision-maker when legal rights, obligations, or risks are involved.
Professionals should consider adopting internal AI policies that address:
- Confidentiality;
- Permitted AI tools;
- Prohibited uses;
- Human review;
- Legal review;
- Citation verification;
- Client communication;
- Data privacy;
- Recordkeeping.
The goal is not to avoid technology. The goal is to use it responsibly.
Final Thoughts
The Florida Supreme Court’s AI rule update is an important reminder for both lawyers and clients.
For lawyers, it reinforces the responsibility to verify legal authorities and ensure that anything filed with the court is accurate.
For clients, it is a caution that AI-generated legal information should not be treated as legal advice. AI may help you ask better questions, understand general concepts, and organize your thoughts. But your attorney should be relied upon for legal review, strategy, and expertise.
AI can be a helpful tool. It can also be confidently wrong.
When legal rights, court filings, financial consequences, family matters, business obligations, or long-term planning are involved, the safest course is to use AI as a support tool — not as a substitute for qualified legal counsel.
Ascension Nexus Law assists individuals, families, professionals, and businesses with legal planning, legal strategy, and court-related matters. If you have questions about a legal issue or want to better understand how general legal information applies to your specific situation, contact our office to discuss next steps.
Disclaimer: This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Reading this article does not create an attorney-client relationship. Legal outcomes depend on the specific facts and applicable law. If you need legal advice, consult an attorney licensed in your jurisdiction.
