AI in the Legal Field Isn’t Optional – But Leadership Is
Why the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin Built an AI Usage Policy — and What Law Firms Can Learn from It
Artificial Intelligence is no longer a theoretical threat or a futuristic advantage — it’s a present-day force reshaping how law firms operate. The rapid pace of legal technology adoption is making AI an indispensable tool in modern law practice. From research and summarization to task automation and client insights, AI’s capabilities in law are real, powerful, and growing by the day.
But so are the risks.
At the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin (JSF), we believe embracing AI responsibly isn’t just a matter of innovation — it’s a matter of leadership. That’s why we’ve developed and implemented a formal AI Usage Policy across our entire firm, setting a standard for responsible and ethical AI practices in the legal industry.
As an Operations Coordinator and Operations Analyst at the firm, I oversee operations for the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin, with a special focus on the Major Injury Department and GA Eminent Domain Law Firm. I co-lead the firm’s AI implementation efforts and understand how AI actually gets implemented inside a large, high-performing law firm.
Why Having an AI Usage Policy Matters
Our law firm has always been at the forefront of legal technology adoption. Internally, our custom-built case management system — known to the industry as GrowPath — powers the operational backbone of our practice. Now, we’re beta testing a direct integration with generative AI tools like Eve Legal, allowing our team to work faster, smarter, and with more clarity across every case. These tools, along with predictive analytics tools, are incredibly powerful — but like any technology, they require thoughtful implementation and ethical guardrails.
But great tools don’t excuse poor processes. Without standards, the risks of AI are real: hallucinated case citations, ethical missteps, confidentiality breaches, and unchecked bias in outputs. Effective AI risk management is crucial to maintain the integrity of our legal services.
We’re not waiting to learn the hard way. We’ve built an AI policy designed to protect our clients, empower our teams, and set the tone for what responsible AI implementation should look like in law.
What’s Inside the JSF AI Policy
Our Acceptable Use Policy for AI Tools — developed with guidance from outside counsel and approved by our internal committees—includes:
Mandatory human oversight of all AI-generated content
Prohibitions on using AI for final legal arguments or employment decisions
Restrictions on sharing confidential data with public AI tools
Clear tool approval protocols, bias detection responsibilities, and disclosure guidelines
A commitment to ongoing training and policy updates as the landscape evolves
Every member of our firm — attorneys, paralegals, and staff — must review, understand, and sign the policy to use AI tools in their work. This approach ensures that our AI governance framework aligns with professional responsibility rules and ethical standards.
Why This Isn’t Just a JSF Thing
The reality is this: your firm may already be using AI without a policy in place. Whether through a paralegal utilizing tools like CoCounsel or a team member drafting summaries with generative AI tools, exposure is happening.
A thoughtful, firmwide AI policy template is no longer optional — it’s urgent. Implementing robust AI risk management strategies is crucial for maintaining ethical standards and client trust in the era of AI in litigation.
We’re sharing our policy publicly not because we think we’ve solved everything, but because we believe leadership means going first and sharing what we learn. We hope it serves as a useful blueprint for responsible AI practices — or at the very least, a nudge to get your own standards in motion.
Want To See How JSF Is Using AI Responsibly?
You can download our full Acceptable Use Policy for AI Tools here.
[Access the Policy Now] — free with email, no fluff.
By embracing AI governance frameworks and responsible AI practices, law firms can harness the power of legal technology adoption while mitigating risks and upholding the highest standards of professional responsibility. As AI continues to transform the legal landscape, proactive leadership in developing and implementing AI policies will be crucial for success in the evolving field of law.
About the author:
Jennifer Horn is the Operations Coordinator, Operations Analyst, and Lead Paralegal at the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin. She supports firm-wide operations with a focus on the Major Injury Litigation practice and Eminent Domain cases in Georgia and is an active leader on the firm’s AI Implementation Team. In March of 2025, Jennifer was featured in the “Triangle Business Journal” in an article on how law firms are utilizing AI to improve efficiencies.