Starting & Running an AI-Forward Firm Without Getting Sued
Your Illinois law firm is already using generative AI. Maybe you chose the tool. Maybe your case management software switched on a feature and never asked.
Either way, AI usage now raises both professional responsibility and practice management questions. On Tuesday, October 20, 2026, ISBA Mutual Insurance Company hosts “Starting & Running an AI-Forward Firm Without Getting Sued”. This complimentary MCLE program gives Illinois solos and small firms a concrete, defensible system for using AI, grounded in the Illinois Supreme Court's Policy on Artificial Intelligence and the ARDC's 2025 Guide to Implementing AI.
Attendees will receive a three-step framework for vetting any AI tool before adopting it, along with insight into the Illinois-specific traps in confidentiality, billing, and supervision. Furthermore, this session details THE EXACT QUESTIONS to ask their malpractice carrier before a claim, not after.
Running from 12PM through 1PM, this CLE program has a hybrid model with an in-office lunch-and-learn and a Zoom webinar option available to attendees. Attendees are eligible to receive 1.0 hour of CLE credit.
Key Takeaways from Starting & Running an AI-Forward Firm Without Getting Sued
By the end of the program, attendees will know exactly how to do the following:
How to apply the ARDC's three-step framework to any AI tool, from free chatbots to paid legal platforms. Attendees leave with a repeatable process.
What client information may never go into a public or consumer AI tool, and why.BIPA, PIPA, and the Illinois Trade Secrets Act each raise the stakes. Pasting client data into a free tool without safeguards can trigger all three.
How to bill for AI-assisted work and handle trust accounts under the 2023 amendments to Rules 1.5 and 1.15. Attendees learn what counts as a reasonable fee when AI cuts research time, and how to document it.
How to supervise AI with a written policy and an approved-tools list. That way associates and staff aren't choosing tools on their own. Attendees also learn how to answer a malpractice carrier's AI questions accurately, before a claim forces the issue.
How to navigate the unsettled questions current cases are just beginning to address. That includes privilege over AI-assisted work product. It includes what courts now require attorneys to disclose about AI use. And it includes where the unauthorized-practice line falls for AI-assisted client intake.
Every point ties back to the one-page decision card and checklist attendees take home. No theory. Just what to do Monday morning.
Meet Our Featured Presenter, William Love, Esq.
William Love, Esq.
Principal, EsqLove
William Love is the founder of EsqLove, an Illinois practice focused on legal technology and artificial intelligence, mergers and acquisitions, healthcare, and legal ethics and professional responsibility. He's a licensed Illinois attorney and certified mediator with over 20 years of experience analyzing business structures, workflows, and risk.
A Northwestern University and Loyola Chicago School of Law graduate, William blends transactional and litigation perspectives to solve problems from every angle. He speaks weekly on business law and risk for Ourstartups and has delivered over 150 presentations on emerging entities, technology, and contracting risk. He's a member of the ABA, ISBA, CBA, and IAPP.
Attend Starting & Running an AI-Forward Firm Without Getting Sued
Join ISBA Mutual and William Love on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, for our complimentary MCLE program. In-person seats are limited, so register early to guarantee your spot.