AI for lawyers: a method that keeps professional secrecy intact
Professional secrecy covers everything, down to the very existence of the case. Here is how to use AI for your summaries and letters without ever compromising it.
Summarising forty exhibits before a meeting, rebuilding the timeline of a case, drafting a clear letter before action, reviewing the other side's submissions to spot their weaknesses: much of a law firm's work is writing, and that is exactly where AI saves hours.
But for a lawyer, the question is not "does it work?". It is "am I allowed to?". Professional secrecy is not negotiable, and the wrong tool is enough to compromise it.
What secrecy covers, and why consumer tools are a problem
In Switzerland, a lawyer's professional secrecy is set out in Article 13 of the Federal Act on the Free Movement of Lawyers, and its breach is punishable under Article 321 of the Swiss Criminal Code. Most other countries have equivalent rules for lawyers, laid down by statute and by the professional conduct rules of the bar. In every case, the duty is broad: it covers communications with the client, the documents in the file, and even the very existence of the relationship.
Pasting an extract from a case file into a consumer AI tool therefore means handing it to a third party. That third party often keeps the history, and if it is an American company, it remains subject to the CLOUD Act, which allows the US authorities to demand access to the data it holds, wherever that data is hosted. The terms of use change nothing: it is the legal framework that applies to the provider.
The practical conclusion is simple. For professional use, AI must process your files within a framework you control, or not see them at all.
The method, step by step
1. One Legal space per case or per client. In IA Confidential, create a space and choose the "Legal" type. It sets a formal tone and, above all, keeps the folders you add on the confidential models. All the conversations about a case are kept in one place, without getting mixed up with the others.
2. Instructions that set the framework. In the space's Assistant tab, write down once and for all what the assistant needs to know: the jurisdiction, the area of law, the level of detail you expect, the format of your notes. These instructions take precedence over your general preferences.
3. Documents without copy and paste. On a computer, with Chrome, Edge or Opera, you can add the case folder to the space exactly as it exists on your disk, with the "Confidential models" option. The assistant searches it for the passages it needs to answer; the folder is never sent to an external model. On another browser or on a phone, simply attach the documents to your message: they are read in your browser.
4. The right model for the right task. The confidential models, installed on servers in Switzerland, are enough for most of the work: summaries, timelines, rewording, proofreading. If you ever choose an external model for a general question of legal doctrine, the Confidentiality filter first checks what is being sent and offers to stay on a confidential model as soon as it detects sensitive data.
5. Documents ready to reuse. Ask for a letter before action, a letter to the client or a summary note: the assistant writes it as a document that you can edit, print to PDF or export to Word to fit it into your firm's template.
Three uses that save time
The summary before a meeting. "Set out the timeline of events from the documents in this folder, with the reference of each document." You arrive at the meeting with an overview that would have taken you an hour to build.
The critical review. Attach the other side's submissions and ask for the weak points in the argument, the assertions not supported by any document, the internal contradictions. AI does not argue the case for you, but it quickly spots what deserves your attention.
The difficult letter. Explaining to a client why proceedings will take time, or why a settlement is preferable: AI suggests clear wording without jargon, which you then adjust.
The limits to be aware of
AI can be wrong, and it can make things up with confidence: a case that does not exist, a wrongly numbered article, a shifted date. Every reference cited by the assistant must be checked in your usual sources before it appears in any document you file. Responsibility for what is signed remains entirely yours.
Also bear in mind your professional conduct rules and those of your organisation: a firm may have its own policy on the use of AI, and the client may have specific contractual requirements.
What stays confidential
In a Legal space, the folders you add stay on the confidential models: they are processed on servers in Switzerland and are never passed to an external model. Attached documents are read in your browser, and no file is kept on our servers.
Your conversation history lives in your browser, not with us. We could not produce it if asked to: we do not have it. There is a trade-off to be aware of: there is no syncing between your devices, and on a shared computer, the history can be read by anyone using the same session. To keep it, make a backup to a file, and store it wherever you store your case files.
An example to copy
You are the assistant of an employment lawyer. From the attached documents, set out the timeline of events as a table (date, event, supporting document), then list the three points on which the employee's position is weakest. Flag any date or fact that does not appear in any document.
For related practices, also read our guide to using AI at work safely or the one on consultation reports, another profession bound by secrecy.
To try it on a fictitious case before you start: open the chat.
