Ohio

informal

Summary

Ohio has no formal ethics opinion on AI from the Board of Professional Conduct. The operative guidance comes from OBLIC (Ohio Bar Liability Insurance Co.), which has published four substantive practice bulletins and offers a Model AI Use Policy to policyholders. Two federal district judges (Boyko, N.D. Ohio; Newman, S.D. Ohio) have issued complete AI prohibitions. Hamilton County has a proposed local disclosure rule and Cuyahoga County's Judge Russo requires an AI certification.

Applicable ABA Model Rules

Rule 1.1
Rule 1.2
Rule 1.4
Rule 1.5
Rule 1.6
Rule 1.16
Rule 2.1
Rule 3.3
Rule 3.4
Rule 5.1
Rule 5.3
Rule 8.4

Carrier Implications

OBLIC is the primary carrier and offers a 15% premium credit (capped at $300 full-time / $125 part-time) for 5+ hours of professional conduct CLE. Court AI order violations are classified as a primary malpractice trigger under Prof. Cond. R. 3.4(c). Ohio malpractice statute of limitations is 1 year from the cognizable event; statute of repose is 4 years.

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.

Ohio has no formal ethics opinion on AI from the Board of Professional Conduct, one of the few large-state bars without one. The operative guidance comes from OBLIC, which has published four bulletins (January, July, October 2024, plus a Fall 2024 Malpractice Alert) addressing client consent, citation verification, vendor vetting, supervision (Prof. Cond. R. 5.3), and the rule that violation of a court AI standing order triggers Prof. Cond. R. 3.4(c). OBLIC’s Model AI Use Policy is available to insured firms by request (614-859-2978).

Two federal district judges have issued complete AI prohibitions: Judge Christopher A. Boyko (N.D. Ohio, ~December 2023) and Judge Michael J. Newman (S.D. Ohio, effective July 14, 2023), both with a search-engine exception. Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas published Proposed Local Rule 49 in July 2024 requiring AI disclosure at filing (final adoption status unconfirmed). Judge John J. Russo (Cuyahoga County) requires an AI certificate by the initial case management conference. The Ohio Supreme Court adopted Sup.R. 80-89 amendments effective November 13, 2025 prohibiting court use of AI for substantive translations.

Bottom line for a 5-50 attorney Ohio firm: Call OBLIC and request the Model Generative AI Use Policy. Before filing in any Ohio federal court, check whether the assigned judge prohibits AI entirely (Judges Boyko and Newman both do). ABA Formal Opinion 512 is the de facto framework because Ohio has no state opinion.

Last verified: April 23, 2026