Governance Control · Appendix A
Approved AI Tools Register
Tools Register
A working register for approved tools, permitted use cases, restrictions, and review ownership.
CounselRisk provides a practical AI governance framework for U.S. law firms that need a defensible starting point for internal adoption.
Instead of drafting policies from scratch, firms receive a structured framework with policy language, governance controls, and implementation tools designed to support confidentiality, verification, oversight, and internal decision-making.
Initial release pricing available through
April 30, 2026. View edition details
The issue for most firms is not whether attorneys are experimenting with AI tools. The issue is whether the firm has a documented framework for deciding what is permitted, what requires review, what must be verified, and how confidentiality and client obligations are protected in practice.
GAP 01
GAP 02
GAP 03
Why This Framework
CounselRisk provides practical governance resources for firms evaluating AI use today. The full framework is for firms that need to move from ad hoc decisions and informal experimentation to documented internal governance.
Before the Prompt gives attorneys and firm leaders a practical way to assess whether a proposed AI use is appropriate before work begins.
It covers tool approval, confidentiality, sanitization, risk classification, verification expectations, and client-specific restrictions in a format designed for immediate internal use.
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The Framework
Sixteen core sections. Twelve operational appendices. Built for internal adoption – not for display.
Most firms do not need more general commentary about AI. They need a usable governance structure – clear policy language, defined approval pathways, verification expectations, and the practical tools that support internal adoption.
CounselRisk was built to move firms from informal experimentation to documented governance without starting from scratch.
What makes this a governance system, not just a document
The framework is structured for internal adoption – review, approval, and circulation as a working policy instrument. The 16 core sections define the governance requirements firms need most. The 12 operational appendices provide the tools to put those requirements into practice.
Purpose, definitions, risk classification, and governing principles.
Delivery
Governance Assets
A working register for approved tools, permitted use cases, restrictions, and review ownership.
A structured record for deciding when disclosure should be made, considered, or documented.
A practical governance structure defining ownership, review cadence, and accountability across the firm.
A. Built for Legal Practice – Not Adapted From Corporate Policy
Most AI policy templates available to law firms are adapted from general corporate frameworks. They reference broad principles but often lack the regulatory specificity, operational tools, and implementation structure that law firms actually need.
The CounselRisk framework was built around ABA Model Rules and the professional responsibility obligations that govern legal practice. What distinguishes it is the operational layer: appendices and governance tools that support review, approval, risk classification, verification, and internal adoption.
The framework reflects experience from enterprise AI systems implementation, where governance failures are rarely theoretical. They appear when approval pathways are unclear, verification standards break down, or operational use expands faster than internal controls.
CounselRisk was developed to address that same gap for law firms: not by importing generic enterprise policy language, but by translating governance discipline into a form that is usable inside legal practice.
For firms evaluating internal AI use, this short benchmark helps identify where governance is already taking shape, where control gaps remain, and what likely needs attention first.
A short assessment built for law firms evaluating policy, oversight, and responsible internal AI adoption.
“We needed something we could present to the partnership without spending months on outside counsel. This gave us a credible starting point and a framework we could actually customize and circulate internally within a week.”
Pricing
A comparable framework commissioned through outside counsel typically runs $5,000–$25,000 and takes weeks to months. CounselRisk delivers a complete, ABA-aligned governance framework designed for internal review, customization, and presentation – without the delay and cost of starting from scratch.
Standard Edition
The complete governance framework, delivered immediately in PDF and editable Word format for internal review, customization, and presentation.
Initial release pricing through April 30, 2026. Standard pricing will be $297 thereafter.
Not ready to purchase? Request the free AI Use Decision Flowchart to start evaluating AI use more clearly.
Common Questions
The framework includes 16 core sections and 12 operational appendices, aligned to ABA Model Rules and structured for real law-firm governance needs. It covers permitted and prohibited uses, risk classification, confidentiality, verification, client disclosure, fee treatment, training, governance oversight, and incident response. It is delivered in PDF and editable Word for internal review, customization, and adoption.
This framework is principally designed for U.S. law firms with enough operational complexity to need documented AI governance, especially firms in the 50–200 lawyer range. It is best suited to firms that want a serious starting framework they can review, complete, and adopt internally rather than commission from scratch.
Yes. The framework is built specifically for U.S. law firms and reflects the professional-responsibility obligations, ethical rules, client expectations, and operational realities of legal practice. It is not a generic corporate AI policy repackaged for legal use.
Free resources can help firms understand the issues and begin internal discussion. CounselRisk is designed for firms that need a more complete governance starting point: structured policy language, operational appendices, decision tools, implementation instruments, and a framework that can be reviewed, completed, and circulated internally rather than drafted from scratch.
Yes. The framework is designed for internal review by managing partners, firm counsel, legal operations, risk leaders, and governance stakeholders. It is structured for evaluation, customization, and circulation as a working internal framework – not just private reading.
Advisory Services
Some firms require implementation support that goes beyond the framework itself – particularly where multi-jurisdictional compliance, internal governance structures, training rollout, or broader operating-model changes are involved. For those firms, CounselRisk offers implementation-oriented advisory support.
These engagements are designed for firms that want a more tailored starting point than the standard framework alone. Scope is defined individually based on the firm’s governance priorities, operating environment, and internal decision-making structure.
Insights
CounselRisk publishes practical insights on the governance issues emerging as law firms adopt AI tools for research, drafting, internal workflows, and client-facing work. Topics include ABA and state bar guidance, confidentiality risks, verification obligations, client disclosure, and implementation questions for midsize firms.
These insights are written to help managing partners, legal operations leaders, and governance stakeholders evaluate AI use more clearly and build more defensible internal governance.
Published periodically. Designed for managing partners, legal operations leaders, and governance stakeholders.
Recent Insights
Initial release pricing: Standard Edition $197 through April 30, 2026 · Firm Governance Edition $1,250