{"id":11734,"date":"2026-03-30T10:09:19","date_gmt":"2026-03-29T23:09:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insight.thomsonreuters.com.au\/legal\/?post_type=insight_resource&#038;p=11734"},"modified":"2026-05-04T10:29:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T23:29:18","slug":"is-your-clients-legal-advice-training-ai-the-privilege-risk-no-lawyer-can-ignore","status":"publish","type":"insight_resource","link":"https:\/\/insight.thomsonreuters.com.au\/legal\/resources\/resource\/is-your-clients-legal-advice-training-ai-the-privilege-risk-no-lawyer-can-ignore","title":{"rendered":"Is your client&#8217;s legal advice training AI? The privilege risk no lawyer can ignore"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The rise of public AI tools has created a legal minefield that no lawyer \u2013 regardless of practice area or seniority \u2013 can afford to overlook. When a client uploads a privileged memo or email containing legal advice to ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini to get a quick summary, have they just handed their litigation opponent a weapon?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;s a question the law hasn&#8217;t fully answered yet. But the answers are starting to take shape \u2013 and the implications are significant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The problem is already here<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Clients are using public large language models (LLMs) right now. Not maliciously. Not carelessly, in their own minds. They&#8217;re doing it to save time \u2013 to digest a long piece of advice, to understand what their lawyers are telling them, to feel more in control of complex litigation. It feels harmless. It may not be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Recent decisions show just how unsettled the law remains. Courts have taken differing views on whether using public AI tools undermines a client\u2019s expectation of confidentiality, and whether uploading advice to an LLM amounts to disclosure to a third party. Some judicial commentary suggests that placing confidential material into open\u2011access AI systems may effectively put it into the public domain, with the result that privilege is lost. The lack of a consistent approach leaves lawyers and clients operating in uncertain territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why it matters to every lawyer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This isn\u2019t limited to litigators. Any client, in any practice area, could be exposing privileged material:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A <strong>corporate<\/strong> client uploads a due diligence memo before a board meeting.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>An <strong>employment<\/strong> client summarises settlement strategy through an LLM \u201cfor clarity\u201d.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A <strong>family law<\/strong> client turns to free AI tools because they can\u2019t afford follow\u2011up advice.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The risk is highest for clients with limited resources \u2013 those most likely to rely on free public tools to interpret advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key questions courts will need to answer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Courts will have to grapple with genuinely novel issues, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Does uploading advice to a public LLM put it \u201cin the public domain\u201d?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Can litigation opponents extract privileged content from an LLM?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Could \u201cfishing\u201d applications be launched based on suspected LLM use?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What must a lawyer do if a client admits mid\u2011litigation that they used ChatGPT?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Practical steps lawyers can take now<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the law develops, clients can still take steps to reduce risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Adjusting LLM privacy settings<\/strong> \u2013 disabling chat history, opting out of training \u2013 may help show reasonable steps to maintain confidentiality. But it\u2019s not foolproof: US courts have already required AI companies to preserve user chat logs clients believed had been deleted.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Clear executive summaries may be the simplest safeguard. <\/strong>When advice is easy to understand upfront, clients are less likely to rely on external AI tools to interpret it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Only use closed system GenAI tools<\/strong>, like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomsonreuters.com.au\/en-au\/products\/cocounsel.html?cid=7514044&amp;chl=na&amp;sfdccampaignid=701PA00000auFJ5YAM\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.thomsonreuters.com.au\/en-au\/products\/cocounsel.html?cid=7514044&amp;chl=na&amp;sfdccampaignid=701PA00000auFJ5YAM\">CoCounsel<\/a>, when working on client-specific matters. Ask vendors how long they retain any information input into their tool.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You may also want to consider the wider data\u2011security implications of relying on free AI tools \u2013 particularly how they handle and store client information \u2014 which you can explore in more detail <a href=\"https:\/\/insight.thomsonreuters.com.au\/legal\/resources\/resource\/free-ai-vs-professional-ai-what-australian-lawyers-need-to-know-about-data-security?cid=7514044&amp;chl=na&amp;sfdccampaignid=701PA00000auFJ5YAM\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Access the full analysis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The team from Practical Law UK recently compiled a detailed examination of this issue, \u201cWhy clients should not put privileged advice into public LLMs\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This resource breaks down:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What happens to documents uploaded to public LLMs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How that content may become accessible to regulators or litigation opponents<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How existing privilege law applies \u2013 and where the gaps are<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Risks of targeted prompt\u2011extraction attacks<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The secondary\u2011evidence rules that may apply to reconstructed AI outputs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Key professional\u2011conduct duties where clients have already used a public tool<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s practical, current, and jurisdiction\u2011spanning \u2013 exactly what lawyers need while the law catches up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Download the full analysis via the form on this page to help your clients avoid turning a convenience into a privilege breach.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The rise of public AI tools has created a legal minefield that no lawyer \u2013 regardless of practice area or seniority \u2013 can afford to overlook. When a client uploads&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":220,"featured_media":11742,"template":"","categories":[1964,1937,602,1325],"tags":[1966,181,1983,1914,1980,1974],"resource_type":[596],"insight_job_role":[1315,595,598,604,1573,1457,614,1363,628],"insight_practice_area":[586],"class_list":["entry","author-tyrillycsillag","post-11734","insight_resource","type-insight_resource","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","category-generative-ai-2","category-generative-ai","category-innovation-and-technology","category-legal","tag-cocounsel","tag-data-security","tag-genai","tag-generative-ai","tag-llms","tag-privacy","resource_type-guide","insight_job_role-barrister","insight_job_role-general-counsel","insight_job_role-in-house-lawyer","insight_job_role-knowledge-manager","insight_job_role-lawyer","insight_job_role-managing-partner","insight_job_role-partner","insight_job_role-principal","insight_job_role-solicitor","insight_practice_area-dispute-resolution","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Is your client&#039;s legal advice training AI? 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