AI settings for a small law firm in Tennessee
Checked against the source documents on October 26, 2026
Tennessee's bar has not issued an opinion on generative AI yet. That does not leave a firm here without a rule book. ABA Formal Opinion 512 fills the gap, and the settings that answer it are on the main checklist.
What Tennessee has said
No formal ethics opinion and no lawyer guidance on generative AI from the state bar or the state supreme court as of the check date. The closest thing on record: Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility: Formal ethics opinions index; newest are 2025-F-172 (withdrawn Apr 21, 2025) and 2025-F-171, then 2023-F-170 (credit cards) and 2023-F-169 (departing., 2025. Source.
That leaves ABA Formal Opinion 512 (July 29, 2024) as the reference most lawyers here will be measured against. It says to read a tool's terms of use and privacy policy before client information goes in, and that a self-learning tool needs the client's informed consent first.
The settings that answer it
- Set retention on purpose instead of taking the default. On the checklist
- Pick a rule on memory, and teach temporary or incognito chats for one-off matter questions. On the checklist
- Put the vendor's written terms on training, retention, subprocessors and breach notice in the file. On the checklist
Rules around it
Technology competence: Yes. Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 8, RPC 1.1 cmt. [8], adopted by order No. ADM2016-01382 filed 2017-03-06, effective immediately.
In motion: Tennessee Bar Association AI Task Force (chair A.J. Bahou, named May 2024) exists at tba.org/?pg=AI_Task_Force; it hosts the TBA Conference on AI and the Law and posts practice resources, but has published no report or recommendations; no due date stated 2026-10-26 source; Tennessee Supreme Court Order ADM2025-01403 (Sept 16, 2025) soliciting comment on regulatory reforms (paraprofessionals, nonlawyer ownership); comment deadline extended to Apr 30, 2026; does not mention AI; no rule yet (per legalaigovernance.com tracker, tncourts.gov pages sit behind a browser validation wall) 2026-04-30 source
What this page is not
This is a tech settings page, not legal advice. The state document above is the ethics half and it is yours to read and decide on. I am not a lawyer. I link the source so you can check me.
Send me one screenshot
Crop out client names, send me a screenshot of your Claude, ChatGPT or Microsoft 365 admin settings page, and I'll write back what I'd change. Free. I never need a login.
If you want this kept current for your firm, that is the monthly desk: I watch these settings as the vendors change them and as your state changes its guidance, answer staff questions in writing, usually within one business day, and write up setup notes for each new hire. $500 a month, cancel any month.
Who wrote this
I'm Nick Kaufman. I've spent six years in customer-facing technical support for SaaS, payments and CRM software, including three years at Tier 2 on a CRM built for financial advisors, whose firms work under SEC and FINRA rules. I'm not a lawyer and I don't give legal advice. I set up software so it does what the people responsible for it decided it should do.
Other states: the full list.