Where Irish solicitors can find the Law Society’s public practice resources, and how to assess AI use against professional responsibilities.
On 28 April 2026, the Law Society of Ireland launched its Essentials in Practice Toolkit at Blackhall Place in Dublin. The Toolkit is a practical collection of templates, guides, and resources designed to support the day-to-day running of a modern legal practice — covering AI, people management, processes, compliance, and risk.
This article points readers to the professional body’s own resources. It does not reproduce the workbook or any commissioned training material.
What the Toolkit is
The Essentials in Practice Toolkit is not another guidance document. The Law Society has framed it deliberately as a working resource — something a solicitor or practice manager can open on a Monday morning and apply immediately, not something to read once and file away.
Use the Law Society’s own resource for its current contents and access arrangements. When applying guidance, check the firm’s approved tools, confidentiality rules and responsibilities for reviewing AI-assisted work.
The Professional Obligations Frame
Solicitors need to consider their existing professional responsibilities alongside applicable AI-specific law.
Duty of competence means understanding AI well enough to supervise its use. Confidentiality obligations extend to what happens when client data enters an AI tool — whether that tool is a standalone product or an AI feature embedded in software the firm already uses. The duty not to mislead applies fully to AI-generated content in court submissions. Human verification is not optional good practice; it is required.
Applying the guidance in a practice
Document review or drafting assistance is not automatically high-risk under the EU AI Act. Assess the intended use, including any recruitment, creditworthiness or other Annex III use, and the firm’s role as provider or deployer. The obligations and application dates depend on that assessment.
The European Commission’s current overview sets out the phased timetable. AI literacy and relevant transparency duties should be considered alongside confidentiality and supervision. A purchased training certificate is not a universal compliance requirement.
Start with a list of tools and uses, an owner for each and agreed data boundaries. Check that staff know how to verify an output and escalate a problem. Review the arrangements when tools or working practices change.
For help applying this to the firm’s own work, talk to Acuity. Organisation-specific training and materials are supplied under an agreed commercial engagement.
The Toolkit is here: lawsociety.ie Essentials in Practice
Coverage: Law Society Gazette, April 2026