What the guidance says
The ethics committee of the Israel Bar Association published its first binding guidance this week on the use of generative AI in legal practice. The guidance, effective June 1, requires attorneys to independently verify any legal citation or factual statement produced by AI before filing it with a court or sharing it with a client.
The guidance also imposes heightened duties around attorney-client privilege: attorneys must ensure that the AI tools they use do not retain data on servers outside their control, and that use of the tool does not constitute disclosure to a third party that could waive privilege.
The Israeli context
The Israeli guidance arrives after seven months of internal Bar deliberation, and reflects the global trend. Unlike the US DOJ memo released recently, the Israel guidance does not require formal court disclosure of AI use — but it does require internal documentation that can be produced in a complaint.
The Bar confirmed it will publish a list of approved AI tools for Israeli legal work within three months, based on security audits and privilege-compliance review.