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Defense · ABA Formal Op. 512

ABA Formal Op. 512 for defense AI workflows

ABA Formal Op. 512 in defense AI workflows: what compliance requires, who asks for evidence, and the records to keep.

Legal forceProfessional guidance, not binding
Applies from29 Jul 2024
SectorDefense
Checked21 Oct 2026

01 / The rule

What ABA Formal Op. 512 requires

Lawyers who use generative AI tools in practice, and the partners and supervisors responsible for their firms' conduct.

  1. 01Have a reasonable understanding of a specific AI tool's capabilities and limits before using it (Rule 1.1).
  2. 02Independently review AI output to a degree suited to the tool and task before relying on it.
  3. 03Get a client's informed consent before entering their confidential information into a self-learning AI tool; boilerplate engagement-letter consent is not enough (Rule 1.6).
  4. 04Tell clients about AI use when they ask, when it affects fees, or when it influences significant decisions (Rule 1.4).
  5. 05Check AI output for false statements and fabricated citations before submitting to a court (Rules 3.1, 3.3, 8.4(c)).
  6. 06Set firm AI policies, train staff and vet vendors (Rules 5.1, 5.3); bill only reasonable fees for actual time (Rule 1.5).

02 / In this sector

In a defense AI workflow

The opinion deals only with generative AI tools, such as drafting, research and summarization assistants. It treats AI like other technology and nonlawyer assistance: allowed, but with the lawyer fully responsible for the result.

Usually asked by

Program office leads and ATO-package owners.

Named alongside

NIST AI RMF · DoW RAI · OMB M-25-21.

Sector pagePlanisphere for defense

03 / Records

Records to keep

  1. 01Documented evaluation of each AI tool's terms and data handling
  2. 02Client informed-consent records for confidential inputs
  3. 03Verification notes for AI-assisted work product
  4. 04Firm AI policy and training attendance records

Optional evidence · where Planisphere fits

Keep a record anyone can check

When your team meets a duty, Planisphere can seal the event it reports as a receipt.

01 · Your teamRecord the event

A disclosure shown, a review signed, a model change approved: the event your system reports.

02 · PlanisphereSeal it

The event becomes a sealed receipt, dated and attributed to whoever is signed in.

03 · AnyoneCheck it

Paste the receipt into Verify. No account or key.

A record supports your compliance evidence process. It is not a legal finding or a certification. Systems that call Planisphere's gate API can also hold or refuse an action before it runs.

SOURCES

Go back to the source

PRIMARY
ABA Formal Opinion 512: Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools

American Bar Association Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility

PRIMARY
Model Rules of Professional Conduct

American Bar Association

RELATED

Related: ABA Formal Op. 512: the full guide · ABA Formal Op. 512 for medicine · ABA Formal Op. 512 for law · ABA Formal Op. 512 for education