AI for solo lawyers in Texas

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

The Professional Ethics Committee for the State Bar of Texas issued Opinion 705 on generative AI in February 2025. It allows Texas lawyers to use AI tools as long as they stay responsible for the work. In practice:

• Competence. Understand the tool well enough to use it safely, and verify every citation and legal statement it produces.
• Confidentiality. Know how the tool handles what you enter before you enter client information.
• Supervision. Lawyers who supervise others are responsible for how their staff use AI.
• Fees. Charge a reasonable fee for the work done. Do not charge for time the tool saved.

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.

Texas contract issues to check on every review

Texas contract review for small businesses and individuals has its own patterns. Check:

• Non-competes under Business and Commerce Code section 15.50, which must be ancillary to an otherwise enforceable agreement and reasonable in time, area and scope.
• Indemnity clauses. Texas applies the express negligence rule and fair-notice requirements, so broad indemnities need clear, conspicuous wording.
• Venue and governing-law clauses, especially in construction and services contracts with out-of-state parties.

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

Checklist: choosing an AI tool that fits Texas 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.