© ILTA and Thomson Reuters 2026.
Additional Resources:
AI Fundamentals & Legal Technolo
• Stanford Center for Legal Informatics
5
(CodeX) — academic research on AI in law, including
working papers on LLM accuracy and legal benchmarking.
• AI Risk Management Framework
6
(National Institute of Standards and Technolo) —
the federal framework for AI risk assessment; increasingly referenced in legal and
compliance contexts.
• 2026 AI in Professional Services Report
7
(Thomson Reuters Institute) — a broad view into
the current usage and planning, sentiment towards, and business impact of AI for legal, tax &
accounting, corporate functions, and government agencies.
• LegalTech Hub
8
— vendor-neutral directory of legal technolo tools and categories.
Appendices B & C provide additional information regarding professional responsibility concerns.
What Lies Ahead
The legal profession is at an early and consequential stage in its use of AI. The tools available
today are genuinely useful — capable of enabling lawyers and legal professionals to work more
thoroughly and efficiently. They also present real risks, including accuracy, confidentiality, and
the temptation to substitute AI output for professional judgment.
The profession is still determining what appropriate AI use looks like across different practice
areas, matter types, and client contexts. The frameworks provided here reflect current best think-
ing, but the field is moving quickly. Courts are issuing new standing orders on AI disclosure. Bar
associations are issuing new ethics opinions. Vendors are continually releasing new tools that
bring both new capabilities and new risks. Staying current is an increasingly critical component
of the professional obligation of competence in AI.
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5 https://law.stanford.edu/codex-the-stanford-center-for-legal-informatics/
6 https://www.nist.gov/itl/ai-risk-management-f ramework
7 https://www.thomsonreuters.com/en/reports/2026-ai-in-professional-services-report
8 https://www.legaltechnologyhub.com