This CLE program examines how law firms can protect their institutional knowledge and maintain control as they adopt AI platforms. Participants will explore vendor lock-in, data portability, confidentiality, security, and the challenges of preserving firm-specific instructions, workflows, institutional memory, lawyer feedback, and governance rules when changing AI providers.

The program addresses lawyers’ ethical obligations under ABA Model Rules 1.1, 1.4, 1.6, 5.1, and 5.3, as well as ABA Formal Opinion 512, including vendor terms, model training, third-party access, informed client consent, and supervision of AI-assisted work. The program concludes with practical strategies involving portability, interoperability, governance, and reconstructability to help firms preserve their knowledge and flexibility as AI technology evolves.