CA SB574: Attorneys, arbitrators, judicial officers, and alternative resolution providers.

In one paragraph

California's SB 574 sets rules for generative AI in legal work. Attorneys may not delegate the practice of law to generative AI; when using it they must keep confidential, personal identifying and other nonpublic information out of systems not restricted to them and those they authorize under confidentiality duties, take reasonable steps to verify outputs, including all citations, correct hallucinated output, and disclose its use to the court for documents they submit. Court filings may not contain citations the responsible attorney has not personally verified. Arbitrators may not delegate decision-making to generative AI. Signed September 30, 2026 (Chapter 858); effective January 1, 2027.

Plain-English summary, written with AI assistance. The official text controls.

What it means for business

California attorneys and law firms: from January 1, 2027, personally verify every citation in court filings, take reasonable steps to check AI output, keep client data out of unrestricted AI tools, and disclose generative AI use to the court. Arbitrators may not delegate decisions to generative AI.

Key provisions

1. 1New Bus. & Prof. Code § 6068.1: an attorney may not delegate the practice of law to generative AI; the duty of reasonable competence and diligence is unchanged
2. 2Attorneys using generative AI must not enter confidential, personal identifying (e.g. driver's license and Social Security numbers, birth dates, medical and financial information, sealed content) or other nonpublic information into a system whose access is not restricted to the attorney and persons the attorney authorizes who are obligated to keep it confidential
3. 3Attorneys must take reasonable steps to verify generative AI outputs, including all case and statutory citations, and correct erroneous or hallucinated output in material they use; they must disclose generative AI use to the court for all documents submitted, and consider disclosing it when it creates content for the public
4. 4Code Civ. Proc. § 128.7: a brief, pleading, motion or other paper filed in any court may not contain citations the responsible attorney has not personally verified, including citations provided by generative AI; violations can draw sanctions under § 128.7, but no monetary sanctions against a represented party for this rule
5. 5New Code Civ. Proc. § 1282.1: an arbitrator may not delegate any part of their decision-making to a generative AI tool, or rely on generative AI information outside the record without disclosing it to the parties beforehand and, as far as practical, letting them comment
6. 6New Code Civ. Proc. § 180: the Judicial Council must publicly revisit, and revise as necessary, Standard 10.80 of the California Standards of Judicial Administration to reflect the further development of generative AI
7. 7Not AI-specific: the State Bar's voluntary certification program for alternative dispute resolution providers must have procedures to receive, investigate and resolve ethics complaints; proceedings are confidential and exempt from the Public Records Act, though outcomes may be disclosed
8. 8Signed September 30, 2026 (Chapter 858, Statutes of 2026); effective January 1, 2027

Latest legislative action

Sep 30, 2026. Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 858, Statutes of 2026.

Sponsors (showing 5 of 33)

Roll call votes (showing 3 of 4)