---
title: "Review an invoice for work a generative-AI tool performed"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/obligations/costs-billing-and-litigation-funding/review-a-bill-for-ai-assisted-work/united-states"
type: "task_jurisdiction_version"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A42-B1-1-US"
practice_area: "Costs, billing & litigation funding"
tier: "yellow"
lawyer_review: "required"
jurisdictions: ["US"]
last_reviewed: "2026-10-22"
---

# Review an invoice for work a generative-AI tool performed

> 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.

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/obligations/costs-billing-and-litigation-funding/review-a-bill-for-ai-assisted-work/united-states  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Costs, billing & litigation funding](https://ailawframework.com/obligations/costs-billing-and-litigation-funding.md) |
| Human involvement | Yellow: Lawyer and AI draft together |
| 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 | United States |
| Applies to | [Review a bill for AI-assisted work](https://ailawframework.com/obligations/costs-billing-and-litigation-funding/review-a-bill-for-ai-assisted-work.md) |

## Checking plan

- What the AI does: 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.
- Basis: Checked against the linked sources on 22 October 2026. Confirm the current instrument before reliance.

## Notes

- Do not add a markup to the actual cost of a third-party AI charge, and pass on any discount, unless the client was told otherwise in advance (Opinion 512, applying Formal Opinion 93-379).
- A tool log is not client-ready. Do not send it with the invoice.

## Sources

- [ABA Formal Opinion 512, Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools (29 July 2024)](https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/professional_responsibility/ethics-opinions/aba-formal-opinion-512.pdf) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [ABA Model Rule 1.5, Fees](https://www.americanbar.org/groups/professional_responsibility/publications/model_rules_of_professional_conduct/rule_1_5_fees/) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [State Bar of California, Practical Guidance for the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in the Practice of Law (2026 update)](https://www.calbar.ca.gov/Portals/0/documents/ethics/Generative-AI-Practical-Guidance.pdf) (checked 2026-10-22)

## Forms and precedents for this task

| Form or precedent | Kind | AI level | Summary |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Engagement letter with a generative AI clause (United States)](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/costs-billing-and-litigation-funding/us-engagement-letter-generative-ai.md) | Letter | 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… |
| [Itemised bill and letter answering a request for one](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/costs-billing-and-litigation-funding/itemised-bill.md) | Letter | Yellow | Covering letter and itemised bill in answer to a request made after a lump sum bill, with the 30-day request period and the 21-day response period, and a named responsible principal. |
| [Timekeeper check before billing generative AI work (United States)](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/costs-billing-and-litigation-funding/us-timekeeper-gai-billing-check.md) | Checklist | 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. |
| [Worksheet comparing a draft bill with the costs disclosure](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/costs-billing-and-litigation-funding/bill-disclosure-comparison.md) | Checklist | Yellow | Internal worksheet that sets a draft bill beside the last costs estimate, later updates, uplift and AI-assisted time, before the bill is sent. |

Signed-in accounts can read the full text of each one.

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*