Imagine drafting a brief or conducting legal research in minutes instead of hours, all while potentially offering a level of accuracy, diligence, and thoroughness approaching traditional manual processes. This is not the future—it is the present reality of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in law.

Beyond its ability to streamline tasks, AI offers a groundbreaking opportunity to address long-standing access to justice barriers, making legal resources more affordable and accessible to a broader population. But with the American Bar Association's (ABA) recent Formal Opinion 512 sounding alarms over ethical concerns, we are faced with a critical dilemma: In a profession bound by strict ethical standards, can we harness this transformative technology without sacrificing our duty of competence and confidentiality?