Articles

Artificial Intelligence for Lawyers: Friend, Foe, or Both?

Old Republic Lawyers Professional — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 12:30:00 GMT

As artificial intelligence (“AI”) becomes more integrated into legal practice, lawyers must exercise care to use these tools responsibly and in full compliance with their ethical duties set forth in the rules of professional conduct. While AI has been available for years, Generative AI (“GenAI”), a relatively new tool, is rapidly transforming legal practice in ways that offer significant benefits but also raise new ethical and professional considerations. GenAI is a type of AI trained on data (text, images, data, music, computer code) that can generate new information, content, and insights. But if the GenAI lacks proper safeguards, it may “hallucinate,” meaning it can provide false information in response to prompts due to its design focus on pattern-based content generation. This article will focus on two critical risks for lawyers: ⁽¹⁾ relying on GenAI-generated outputs without verification and ⁽²⁾ making unauthorized disclosures of client confidences when using GenAI tools.

Legacy or Liability? 10 Common Pitfalls for Will, Trust, and Estate Lawyers

Old Republic Lawyers Professional — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 12:15:00 GMT

It is estimated that the Baby Boomer generation will transfer more than $120 trillion to succeeding generations.^[1] This so-called “Great Wealth Transfer” will reverberate in the will, trust, and estate area of practice (“w/t/e AOP”) for years to come. Liability exposure risks for w/t/e lawyers accompany this staggering amount of money.

When an estate contains significant assets, stakes are raised and emotions among beneficiaries, actual or purported, can become volatile. Add in the complexity and evolving nature of the w/t/e AOP and lengthy time horizons, where statutes of limitation can be tolled for decades, an environment exists where malpractice claims arise frequently^[2] and can be difficult to defend.

Report Before You Replace: Protecting Coverage When Switching Malpractice Insurers

Old Republic Lawyers Professional — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Switching legal malpractice insurance carriers may seem like a routine administrative decision, but it requires proper handling to protect the law firm’s interests. Under a typical claims-made lawyers professional liability (“LPL”) policy, attorneys are required to report known claims and potential claims to their current insurer within the policy period. This obligation becomes especially critical when transitioning to a new carrier and applies whether the change in insurance carriers is initiated by the law firm or results from the insurer’s decision not to renew the policy or the insurer exiting the market.

Failing to report claims or potential claims before switching insurers can result in a complete loss of coverage—both from the outgoing and incoming carriers. In such cases, the law firm may be left to shoulder defense and indemnity costs on its own, which could amount to millions of dollars in high stakes matters. This article outlines the importance of timely reporting, explains key definitions under LPL policies, and provides scenarios to illustrate how law firms can protect themselves from costly coverage gaps.

The Law Firm Letters Toolset: A Compendium of Professional Letters and Templates - Part One

Old Republic Lawyers Professional — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 11:45:00 GMT

Clear, written documentation of the lawyer-client relationship is among the most effective risk management measures available to a law firm. Engagement letters define the firm’s responsibilities and the client’s duties, and they help clients understand how the representation will proceed. When clients understand the terms of the relationship, the risk of unmet expectations—and the disputes, professional liability claims, or disciplinary complaints that can follow—is reduced. Documentation can also help resolve disagreements about the scope of representation, fees, or other material terms. When a claim arises, the absence of contemporaneous documentation rarely favors the firm. Judges and juries expect law firms to memorialize the material aspects of the attorney-client relationship.

The Law Firm Letters Toolset: Sample Engagement Letters by Area of Practice - Part Two

Old Republic Lawyers Professional — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 11:30:00 GMT