Law firms: assistance, not delegated legal responsibility
An illustrative pilot could turn an approved internal procedure into a checklist or help prepare a first draft from nonsensitive reference material. More sensitive uses, such as reviewing client documents or researching authorities, require an explicit confidentiality and verification process.
The ABA's Formal Opinion 512 addresses lawyers' duties when using generative AI, including competence, confidentiality, and communication. ABA opinions do not replace the rules and court requirements applicable to a particular lawyer. Verify every authority and factual statement before use; a plausible quotation is not proof that a case exists. [S17]
Accounting firms: improve preparation and review
Consider drafting an internal close checklist, organizing approved training material, or flagging inconsistencies in a controlled data set for human investigation. These are proposed scenarios, not results measured at Blue Tree Technology® customers.
Avoid letting a model independently file returns, change the ledger, or determine a client's tax position. Map the data involved, the professional review required, and the records that must be retained. A useful output may still contain a material calculation or classification error. Keep authoritative calculations in validated systems and reconcile results.
Financial firms: supervised support
A firm might pilot an internal policy search tool or create a draft meeting agenda from approved material. Client communications, recommendations, suitability-related work, and recordkeeping require much tighter scoping.
FINRA reminds member firms that existing regulatory obligations continue to apply when they use generative AI, including third-party tools. Its notice discusses supervision and the risks of inaccurate or inappropriate outputs. Not every financial business is a FINRA member, so identify the regulator and rules that actually apply. [S18]
Choose the first use with a risk screen
For each proposed workflow, ask whether confidential records are necessary, whether the output affects a client decision, whether the system can change a business record, and who can detect an error. The more consequential the action, the stronger the review and control requirements should be.
Separate a knowledge-search assistant from an agent allowed to execute transactions. Limit access to the approved material, test misleading inputs, and record who approves changes to the workflow. Train employees on both usefulness and limits, not merely prompt-writing techniques.
Measure a business result
Use completion time, review effort, error rates, and adoption to decide whether the pilot helps. Do not describe an idea as a case study or a time-saving result until it has been implemented and measured. Blue Tree Technology® can discuss the technical and governance questions around your proposed use; professional decisions remain with the qualified people accountable for them.