Review an invoice for work a generative-AI tool performed
Key facts
- Human involvement
- YellowClose supervision
- How AI is used
- From the time file and the tool log the lawyer supplies, list entries where billed time and the log do not line up, and flag any separate charge for the tool.
- What the lawyer must review
- Formal Opinion 512: bill actual time only. The example in the opinion is a 15-minute prompt plus the time spent reviewing the draft, not the time the task would have taken without the tool. The same opinion says a flat fee that ignores a large time saving may be unreasonable under Rule 1.5(a), and that little or no work for the fee charged is unreasonable. California’s 2026 guidance is to the same effect on hourly time and on saying in the fee agreement how AI affects the calculation. The lawyer, not the tool, decides what is written off.
- Written for / version
- United States versionUS
Who does what
| Role | What they do |
|---|---|
| Assistance | Potential support includes identifying points for review. Confirm the tool’s capability and permitted scope. |
| Lawyer | Set the scope, supervise the work closely, verify every part relied on, resolve omissions and exceptions, and approve the exact output. |
Checklist
- Trace every relied-on figure to its source, confirm dates and assumptions, and independently recalculate totals or derived amounts.
- Review operative clauses in the complete document, including definitions, cross-references, schedules and inconsistencies with the instructions.
- Confirm the output against the client’s instructions and the complete relevant source material, including omissions or contradictions.
- Resolve exceptions and record the responsible lawyer’s approval of the exact output and intended use.
Forms and precedents for this task
| Form or precedent | Kind | AI use | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engagement letter with a generative AI clause (United States) | Letter | AI use Yellow | Engagement letter stating the scope and the basis of the fee, and separating ordinary generative-AI use from any input of information relating to the representation, which needs a completed tool schedule rather than a boilerplate consent. |
| Timekeeper check before billing generative AI work (United States) | Checklist | AI use Yellow | A check a timekeeper completes before AI-assisted time or a per-use AI charge is put on a bill, so the bill reflects time actually spent and expenses the engagement allows. |
Signed-in accounts can read the full text of each one. All precedents.