The sentence is in the SRA's compliance tips for solicitors using AI and technology, updated on 9 February 2026: "It should always be made clear to clients where they are interfacing with AI" (SRA, Compliance tips). It sits in a section about clients who can't or don't want to use technology, which is the point. Transparency isn't only about honesty. It's about giving the client the choice.
Most small firms read that and think of a chatbot. The list is longer than that.
Where do clients meet AI in a small law firm?
In five places, usually: a chatbot or enquiry form on the website, an AI note-taker in client meetings and calls, automated progress updates on a matter, AI-drafted letters and emails, and online onboarding or ID checks. Some of these the firm chose. Others arrived as features of software the firm already had.
The website chatbot
If the first thing a prospective client meets is a chatbot, it should say so in its first message, and it should be obvious how to reach a person instead. The SRA's tips also ask whether clients have a choice over whether to use technology-based services and whether there's "any convenience or cost detriment if they do so". A chatbot that's the only way to make contact fails that test. One that answers simple questions and hands over to a person doesn't.
Two more things the SRA flags for anything client-facing: it should be clear who the client turns to if the technology goes wrong, and vulnerable clients need to be able to get the same service another way.
The AI note-taker
This is the one that catches firms out, because the tool is often switched on inside the video call software rather than chosen. If a note-taker is in the meeting, the client should be told before it starts and asked whether they're content. That's a short sentence at the top of the meeting, and a line in the client care letter so it isn't a surprise.
The confidentiality question sits behind it. The SRA's August 2026 warning notice says client information should only go into AI systems "where appropriate contractual, technical and organisational safeguards are in place to protect confidentiality" (SRA, Warning notice, 17 August 2026). A note-taker that records a client meeting is holding client information. Before it joins a meeting, someone should have checked where the recording goes, how long it's kept and whether it's used to train anything.
Progress updates and drafted letters
If a client gets an automated update on their matter, it's reasonable for them to know it's automated and who to reply to. If a letter was drafted with AI and reviewed by a solicitor, the review is what matters, and the warning notice is clear that the firm remains accountable "whether or not AI has been used in its preparation". A general line in the client care letter covers this. You don't need a label on every email.
Onboarding and ID checks
The SRA's tips say there's no reason the questions to identify a client can't be asked by software, and electronic verification is available where a duty to verify arises. The same transparency applies: the client should know they're dealing with an automated process and how to get help if it fails them.
What should the client care letter say?
A short paragraph. Something close to this:
"We use some AI tools to help us work efficiently, for example to take notes in meetings and to help draft documents. A solicitor reviews anything that affects your matter, and we remain responsible for the advice we give you. We don't put your information into AI tools we haven't approved for that purpose. If you'd prefer us not to use an AI note-taker in your meetings, tell us and we won't."
That last sentence does most of the work. It gives the client the choice the SRA is asking for.
What does this look like in practice?
I lead a live AI rollout inside a regulated business, so I've had to answer the same question: where does a client meet AI without anyone having decided it? For most firms some of it arrived as a feature of software they already had, which is why the fix starts with a list, then a sentence for the client letter, then a rule that new AI features go on the register before they're switched on.
What should a firm do this month?
Walk the client's path through the firm and note every point where they meet AI. Write the client care paragraph. Tell fee earners to mention the note-taker at the start of meetings. Check who answers if the chatbot can't.
- List the touchpoints: website, calls and meetings, updates, letters, onboarding.
- Add the paragraph to the client care letter and a short FAQ to the website.
- Agree the one sentence everyone says before a note-taker joins a meeting.
- Make sure a person is reachable from every automated route.
My AI governance kit for law firms has the client care wording, a client FAQ and the approved tools register, mapped to the SRA's guidance. If you'd rather I did it with your team, that's the team AI rollout.
Sources
- 01SRA, Compliance tips for solicitors regarding the use of AI and technology, updated 9 February 2026. sra.org.uk/solicitors/resources/innovate/compliance-tips-for-solicitors
- 02SRA, Warning notice: Misuse of AI, 17 August 2026. sra.org.uk/solicitors/guidance/misuse-ai
- 03ICO, guidance on AI and data protection. ico.org.uk
This article is general information, not legal or regulatory advice. Read the SRA's guidance in full and speak to your COLP about your firm.
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Guy Habgood helps independent professional firms use AI safely, take admin off their teams, and build software when nothing off the shelf fits. He's based in Alresford, Hampshire, and works with firms across the UK.
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