AI Rules for South Dakota Law Firms
Last verified July 8, 2026
South Dakota hasn't issued bar guidance, a court rule, or a statute aimed at how lawyers use AI. That doesn't mean your firm has no exposure, it means the exposure runs through your existing conduct rules rather than a new AI-specific instrument.
Where South Dakota Stands
No South Dakota bar ethics opinion, court rule, or standing order addresses AI use in legal practice. The one AI-adjacent statute on the books, SB 164, signed March 31, 2025, prohibits using a deepfake to influence an election. It imposes no duties on legal practice directly, but matters to your firm if you advise a campaign, a committee, or a media client.
What Your Firm Must Do
Without state-specific AI guidance, your firm's obligations run through South Dakota's general Rules of Professional Conduct. Competence, confidentiality, and candor apply to AI-assisted work the same way they apply to any other delegated task, and firms advising political or media clients should also know that election deepfakes are now a criminal matter under SB 164.
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