California Codifies Attorney Duties for Generative AI Use in SB 574

On September 30, 2026, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 574, authored by Senator Thomas Umberg, establishing a statutory framework governing the use of generative artificial intelligence by attorneys, arbitrators, judicial officers and related professionals licensed in the state. According to the reporting, the bill regulates how GenAI may be used in the practice of law rather than leaving the question entirely to the courts and existing professional conduct authorities.

For major-firm clients and firms, the significance is breadth rather than novelty of any single obligation: this is a codified, discoverable legal duty attached to individual lawyers' use of everyday drafting, research and client-communication tools, with potential reach to firm supervision, disclosure and recordkeeping practices across matter teams. The published summary does not set out the bill's specific provisions — required disclosures, competence or verification standards, filing and confidentiality duties — so counsel should work from the enacted statutory text rather than secondary characterizations, and should expect State Bar ethics opinions and court commentary to supply the detail.

Practical next steps: firms with California-licensed lawyers should map AI tooling already in use against the enacted text, align internal usage policies and client disclosure language, and monitor State Bar guidance and any compliance milestones attaching under the statute.