AI for solo lawyers in Maryland

Solo and small-firm lawyers in Maryland are using AI to draft and review contracts faster, but the ethics rules still apply. This guide covers what Maryland guidance says about generative AI, the Maryland 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 Maryland guidance says about lawyers using AI

In May 2025 the Maryland State Bar Association's AI and Legal Technology Task Force published an Overview of Ethical Considerations for Attorney Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence Technologies. It is non-binding and closely follows ABA Formal Opinion 512. The main points:

• Competence. Understand the tools you use and their limits.
• Confidentiality. Protect client information and check how a vendor handles what you enter.
• Judgment. AI should never replace a lawyer’s independent judgment, so review every output.
• Clients and fees. Consider telling clients about generative AI use, and keep fees reasonable.

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.

Maryland contract issues to check on every review

Points to check in Maryland contract review:

• Non-competes, which Maryland bans for lower-wage employees (those earning up to 150% of the state minimum wage) under Labor and Employment section 3-716, and restricts further for some licensed health care workers. Above that, courts apply a reasonableness test.
• Consumer contracts, where the Maryland Consumer Protection Act can apply.
• Limitation of liability, indemnity and choice-of-law clauses in services and SaaS agreements.

A contract review workflow for a Maryland 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 Maryland 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 Maryland guidance expects.

Checklist: choosing an AI tool that fits Maryland 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.