AI for solo lawyers in Michigan

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

In June 2025 the State Bar of Michigan's AI Workgroup published Transforming the Legal Profession in the Age of AI, a report the Bar describes as a living document. It is not an ethics opinion; Michigan's one AI ethics opinion, JI-155 (2023), is addressed to judges. The report's main points for lawyers:

• Competence. The duty of competence under MRPC 1.1 includes understanding AI tools relevant to your practice.
• Confidentiality. Protect client information when using AI tools.
• Fees. Fees must stay reasonable. The report notes that ignoring tools that materially cut cost could itself raise fee questions.
• Supervision. AI should supplement a lawyer’s work, never replace it. Review every output.

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.

Michigan contract issues to check on every review

Points to check in Michigan contract review:

• Non-competes, which MCL 445.774a allows if they protect a reasonable competitive business interest and are reasonable in duration, area and type of work. A court may limit an unreasonable covenant to make it reasonable.
• Indemnity clauses, which Michigan courts read strictly against the party seeking indemnity for its own negligence unless the language is clear.
• Limitation of liability, choice-of-law and venue clauses in services agreements.

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

Checklist: choosing an AI tool that fits Michigan 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.