AI Rules for Ohio Law Firms
Last verified July 8, 2026
Ohio doesn't yet have an AI-specific court rule for lawyers, but the Board of Professional Conduct has issued formal guidance, and two bills moving through the General Assembly would reshape AI liability and disclosure well beyond the courtroom. This page lays out what's adopted, what's pending, and what your firm needs to track in both categories.
Where Ohio Stands
The Ohio Board of Professional Conduct has adopted an Ethics Guide, Artificial Intelligence for Lawyers and Judicial Officers, issued in 2026. It is nonbinding but authoritative, and it treats AI as a relevant technology under Prof.Cond.R. 1.1. Two bills are also moving through the 136th General Assembly: SB 163, which passed the Senate in May 2026 and is now pending in the House, and HB 469, still proposed. Neither is law yet.
What Your Firm Must Do
Under the Board's Ethics Guide, your firm must independently verify all AI output against original sources before relying on it, vet AI tools before client data goes into them, supervise staff use of AI, and check the local AI rules of each court before filing. These are guide-level expectations tied to the existing competence rule, not a new binding rule of its own.
What's Still Pending
SB 163 would require watermarks on AI-generated products, criminalize AI-simulated child sexual abuse material, and create identity fraud liability plus a private right of action for unauthorized digital replicas. That matters for both client counseling and your firm's own AI-assisted marketing content. HB 469 would declare AI systems nonsentient, bar AI legal personhood, and place liability for AI-caused harm on the human owners, users, or developers of the tool, a category that would include a law firm deploying AI. Track both bills rather than acting on them, since neither has passed.
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