Alabama

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Summary

Alabama has no formal ethics opinion on AI and has not adopted ABA Model Rule 1.1 Comment 8 on technology competence. Existing Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct still govern AI use, and Johnson v. Dunn (N.D. Ala. 2025) sanctioned three Butler Snow partners for hallucinated ChatGPT citations under Rule 3.3 and Rule 11.

Applicable ABA Model Rules

Rule 1.1
Rule 1.4
Rule 1.5
Rule 1.6
Rule 3.1
Rule 3.3
Rule 5.1
Rule 5.3
Rule 8.4

Carrier Implications

Attorneys Insurance Mutual of the South (AIM) has publicly endorsed ABA Formal Opinion 512 as the operative compliance framework for Alabama insureds. AIM's 2026-2027 underwriting is expected to reflect AI risk awareness, and firms with documented AI policies and training logs are better positioned at renewal.

This summary is informational only. Verify the primary source before relying on this entry. Bar rules differ meaningfully by state. Consult a licensed attorney in your state.

Alabama has not issued a formal ethics opinion or established an AI task force at the state bar level, and the Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct do not include the ABA’s technology-competence comment to Rule 1.1. The existing rules nonetheless apply directly to AI use.

In July 2025, U.S. District Judge Anna Manasco (N.D. Ala.) sanctioned three Butler Snow partners in Johnson v. Dunn for submitting five hallucinated ChatGPT citations, disqualifying them from the case and referring them to bar regulators. The court credited Butler Snow’s pre-existing written AI policy in declining to sanction the firm itself.

Bottom line for a 5-50 attorney Alabama firm: The absence of bar guidance does not create a safe harbor. Johnson v. Dunn, ABA Formal Opinion 512, and existing Alabama Rules 1.1, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 3.1, 3.3, 5.1, and 5.3 collectively create a framework Alabama firms should treat as operative today.

Last verified: April 23, 2026