New Jersey (statewide): New Jersey Courts Notice to the Bar: Responsible Use of Artificia…
Hon. Michael J. Blee, J.A.D., Acting Administrative Director of the Courts · Supreme Court of New Jersey (Administrative Office of the Courts)
Verified September 28, 2026
- Citation
- New Jersey Courts Notice to the Bar: Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Related Technologies, Benefits of AI Policies (March 30, 2026)
- Order date
- March 30, 2026
Status and scope
No AI-specific filing obligation: in force, but it imposes no disclosure, verification, or use restriction on attorney filings beyond existing rules. It provides: 'The Supreme Court of New Jersey encourages attorneys and law firms to develop, adopt, and periodically update internal policies and practices governing the use of AI and related technologies as part of maintaining professional competence and ethical compliance.'
What the instrument provides
- 'The Supreme Court of New Jersey encourages attorneys and law firms to develop, adopt, and periodically update internal policies and practices governing the use of AI and related technologies as part of maintaining professional competence and ethical compliance.'
- The notice attaches a starter template for a firm AI-use policy and states that adopting a policy 'is encouraged, but it is not a safe harbor.'
- The template's core rules include human review of all AI-assisted work before it goes to a client, opposing counsel, or the court, and verification of every citation 'using an official source before it is relied on or filed.'
Practice areas: state civil, state criminal, state family
What the notice says
On March 30, 2026 the New Jersey courts issued a Notice to the Bar on the Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Related Technologies. It observes that AI tools “are increasingly integrated into the practice of law, including legal research, drafting, document review, and case management,” and that “many commonly used platforms now include embedded or background AI features that may not always be obvious to users.”
Its central message: “The Supreme Court of New Jersey encourages attorneys and law firms to develop, adopt, and periodically update internal policies and practices governing the use of AI and related technologies as part of maintaining professional competence and ethical compliance.”
The starter template
The notice attaches an example “Starter AI Use Policy” for firms to adapt. Among its core rules: lawyers remain responsible for all work product incorporating AI output; “Human review is required, always,” before AI-assisted content goes to a client, opposing counsel, or the court; and any case law, statute, rule, quotation, or pinpoint citation in an AI-assisted draft “must be verified by law firm personnel using an official source before it is relied on or filed.” It also offers options on confidentiality, tool settings, transcription tools, and client communication.
The notice cautions that adopting a policy “is encouraged, but it is not a safe harbor.”
Relationship to the 2024 guidelines
This notice builds on, and does not replace, the Supreme Court’s January 2024 Preliminary Guidelines on the Use of Artificial Intelligence by New Jersey Lawyers, which the template cites.