AI Rules for Wisconsin Law Firms
Last verified July 8, 2026
Wisconsin has no formal bar opinion or enacted court rule on AI use by lawyers yet, but that is likely to change. A Wisconsin Supreme Court rule petition is pending, the State Bar has published informal guidance mapping AI use to existing conduct rules, and a court-level AI committee is drafting standards for the circuit courts. This page lays out what is actually on the books today and what your firm should watch.
Where Wisconsin Stands
No Wisconsin Supreme Court rule or formal State Bar ethics opinion governs AI use in legal practice today. A rule petition, 26-02, was filed February 19, 2026 to codify how professional responsibility rules apply to generative AI use by lawyers, judges, staff, and self-represented litigants; it would become the state's first formal AI rule for court practice if adopted. Separately, the Wisconsin Court System's Artificial Intelligence Committee, convened under the Director of State Courts in September 2025, is drafting practical standards for responsible AI use starting with the circuit courts.
What Your Firm Must Do
Without a formal opinion, your firm should follow the State Bar's informal guidance, published in Wisconsin Lawyer in 2024, which maps existing Rules of Professional Conduct onto AI use: SCR 20:1.1 (competence), 20:1.6 (confidentiality), 20:3.3 (candor), and 20:5.1 and 5.3 (supervision of nonlawyer and lawyer assistance). The guidance is explicit that boilerplate engagement letter language does not count as informed client consent to AI use, so a generic tech-use clause will not satisfy it.
Election and Political Work
If your firm handles campaign or election matters, 2023 Wisconsin Act 123 requires a prescribed AI disclosure on any paid political communication containing AI-generated audio or video, with forfeitures up to $1,000 per violation. This is currently the only enacted Wisconsin statute that touches AI-related legal work directly.
What's Still Pending
Beyond the Supreme Court rule petition and the AI Committee's forthcoming circuit court standards, a 2025 bill (AB 292, with companion SB 295) that would have authorized AI court interpreters in civil, criminal, municipal, and administrative proceedings failed to pass under Senate Joint Resolution 1 on March 23, 2026, and died with the session. Expect similar interpreter bills to return in a future session.
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- Wisconsin Supreme Court rule petition 26-02 (proposed SCR Chapter 76, Use of Generative AI in Wisconsin Courts)
- Wisconsin Court System Artificial Intelligence Committee (Director of State Courts)
- State Bar of Wisconsin, Ethical Considerations When Using Generative Artificial Intelligence (Wisconsin Lawyer, 2024)
- 2023 Wisconsin Act 123
- AB 292 (2025 session)