Extract from Craig Ball’s article “Chambers Guidance: Using AI Large Language Models (LLMs) Wisely and Ethically”
Tomorrow, I’m delivering a talk to the Texas Second Court of Appeals (Fort Worth), joined by my friend, Lynne Liberato of Houston. We will address LLM use in chambers and in support of appellate practice, where Lynne is a noted authority. I’ll distribute my 2025 primer on Practical Uses for AI and LLMs in Trial Practice, but will also offer something bespoke to the needs of appellate judges and their legal staff–something to-the-point but with cautions crafted to avoid the high profile pitfalls of lawyers who trust but don’t verify.
Courts must develop practical internal standards for the use of LLMs in chambers. These AI applications are too powerful to ignore and too powerful to use without attention given to safe use.
Chambers Guidance: Using AI Large Language Models (LLMs) Wisely and Ethically
Prepared for Second District Court of Appeals (Fort Worth)
Purpose
This document outlines recommended practices for the safe, productive, and ethical use of large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT-4o in chambers by justices and their legal staff.
I. Core Principles
- Human Oversight is Essential
LLMs may assist with writing, summarization, and idea generation, but should never replace legal reasoning, human editing, or authoritative research.
