AI for solo lawyers in Missouri

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

Missouri's Office of Legal Ethics Counsel and the Supreme Court of Missouri's Advisory Committee adopted Informal Opinion 2024-11 on generative AI in April 2024. The main points:

• Competence. Keep up with the technology and choose tools suitable for law practice.
• Confidentiality. Assess a platform’s terms, security and data use before entering client information.
• Supervision. Treat AI like a nonlawyer assistant and verify its output. Firms should adopt an AI policy and train staff.
• Fees and courts. Keep fees reasonable, verify anything you submit, and obey court orders on AI.

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.

Missouri contract issues to check on every review

Points to check in Missouri contract review:

• Non-competes, which Missouri courts enforce when they protect trade secrets or customer contacts and are reasonable in time and area.
• Employee non-solicitation covenants, which RSMo section 431.202 specifically protects: a non-solicit of one year or less after employment is presumed reasonable.
• Consumer contracts, where the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act can apply, plus limitation of liability, indemnity and venue clauses in services agreements.

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

Checklist: choosing an AI tool that fits Missouri 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.