Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-2026

Keywords

artificial intelligence, AI, responsible adoption, engagement letters, prompt engineering, ABA Formal Opinion 512

Abstract

In Star Trek: The Next Generation, the Borg, a species augmented with artificial intelligence, give a chilling ultimatum to every civilization they encounter: “You will be assimilated.” The warning is terrifying because it suggests not destruction, but absorption with the loss of independence to a relentless collective.

For lawyers, the rise of artificial intelligence carries a similar threat of assimilation. Artificial intelligence is already entering law practice, whether lawyers welcome it or not. The real question is not if lawyers will be assimilated into a future integrated with artificial intelligence, but how they will use these tools without sacrificing judgment, ethics, or client trust.

This installment explores the best practices for responsible adoption: protecting client confidentiality, addressing AI openly in engagement letters, learning the skill of prompt engineering, and preparing for the workforce changes AI will accelerate. Assimilation may be inevitable, but the terms of assimilation, ethical, careful, client-centered, are still within the control of the profession.

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