AI for solo lawyers in Illinois

Solo and small-firm lawyers in Illinois are using AI to draft and review contracts faster, but the ethics rules still apply. This guide covers what Illinois guidance says about generative AI, the Illinois contract issues worth checking on every review, and a practical workflow in Microsoft Word with LexDraft.

Last checked: 16 October 2026. Bar guidance changes; read the current text from the issuing body before relying on it.

What Illinois guidance says about lawyers using AI

The Illinois Supreme Court Policy on Artificial Intelligence took effect on January 1, 2025. It allows the use of AI in Illinois courts and legal practice, does not require lawyers to disclose AI use in filings, and makes clear that lawyers remain fully accountable for what they submit. For a solo practice that means:

• Use AI tools that protect client confidentiality.
• Review and verify every output, including citations and legal statements.
• Follow the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct on competence, confidentiality and fees, as with any other tool.

At the national level, ABA Formal Opinion 512 (July 2024) reaches similar conclusions: competence, confidentiality, client communication, supervision and reasonable fees all apply to generative AI.

Illinois contract issues to check on every review

Illinois employment and commercial contracts have specific statutory rules. Check:

• Non-competes and non-solicits under the Illinois Freedom to Work Act, which bars non-competes for employees below a set earnings level, bars non-solicits below a lower level, and sets notice and review-period requirements.
• Biometric data clauses. If the client collects fingerprints or face data, the Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) matters for vendor and employment terms.
• Limitation of liability and indemnity clauses in SaaS and services agreements.

A contract review workflow for a Illinois solo practice

LexDraft is a Word add-in from Microsoft AppSource. It opens as a side panel in Word 365 (Windows and Mac), Word 2021 and Word on the web, so the contract never leaves the tool you already draft in.

1. Open the contract in Word and open LexDraft in the side panel.
2. Set the job. For an NDA, SaaS MSA, DPA or services agreement, use the matching built-in playbook. For other contracts, select Illinois and run the review so LexDraft looks for state-specific red flags.
3. Triage by severity. Findings are graded Critical, High, Medium or Low, and LexDraft flags standard terms that are missing.
4. Run the quick checks. The defined-term and cross-reference checks are rule-based and run without AI. They catch undefined terms, unused definitions and references that point nowhere.
5. Accept or reject each redline. Accepted changes land as native Word tracked changes, ready for the other side.
6. Verify and sign off. AI review can miss issues or be wrong. You, as counsel, check every output before it goes out, which is exactly what Illinois guidance expects.

Checklist: choosing an AI tool that fits Illinois guidance

• Does it train on your client documents? LexDraft does not use customer documents to train models. Read the security page for how documents are handled.
• Can you see and control every change? LexDraft proposes word-level redlines. Nothing changes in your contract until you accept it.
• Is the price predictable? LexDraft publishes its prices. The Free plan has 5,000 generated words a month with no time limit and no credit card. Professional is $99 a month or $990 a year for 100,000 words. Business is $199 a month or $1,990 a year with unlimited words.
• Does it fit how you already work? A Word add-in means no uploads, no new editor and no copy-paste between apps.
• Can you bill fairly for it? Flat-fee contract review is a natural fit for AI-assisted work: the client gets a predictable price and you keep the efficiency. Follow your state's fee guidance.

Other states

See AI for solo lawyers by state for guides to other large states, or read the seven-step contract review workflow for solo lawyers.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. LexDraft does not give legal advice; qualified counsel must review every draft. Spotted something out of date? Email support@lexdraft.ai and we will fix it.