Who it's for
How paralegals can use AI on client documents without exposing clients
Paralegals can use AI for summaries, chronologies, form preparation and first drafts, but client documents should be stripped of identifying details before they reach the tool. In Ontario, licensed paralegals are Law Society of Ontario licensees, so its generative AI guidance applies directly: redact identifying information, and get informed consent where anonymizing cannot protect confidentiality. Follow your supervising lawyer’s and firm’s policy.
Last reviewed · 2 sources
Why the guidance applies to paralegal work
The Law Society of Ontario regulates both lawyers and paralegals, and its April 2024 resource is addressed to licensees: “Licensees must be mindful of what information they input or upload into a generative AI system.” Where you work under a lawyer’s supervision elsewhere in Canada or the US, the lawyer’s confidentiality duties govern the work you do on their files.
Tasks where AI helps, and what to remove
- Summarizing medical records or disclosure for a file: patient and witness names, dates, health card numbers
- Building chronologies: exact dates and places that together identify people
- Drafting routine correspondence: names, addresses, file and claim numbers
- Checking completed forms: every field, including signatures and ID numbers
- Drafting affidavits or statutory declarations from notes: deponent names, addresses and exhibit descriptions
Keep the review step
Detection tools and find-and-replace both miss details, particularly in scanned records and handwriting. Read the full copy before sharing, and flag anything uncertain to the supervising lawyer rather than guessing.
When the AI’s draft returns, restore names on your own computer and check it before it goes into the file.
Where PiBye fits
How PiBye handles this
PiBye handles the repetitive part: it finds names, dates, contact details and ID numbers across PDFs, scans and Word files on your Mac, and lists them for you to approve. Approved copies work with whatever AI your firm allows.
Its Lock PDF feature turns the forms you complete into static copies you can send to clients for review, keeping the fillable originals for corrections.
1.0.1 · macOS 14.8.5 or later · Apple Silicon · 1.1 GB
Frequently asked questions
Can a paralegal decide to use AI on a file?
Follow your firm’s policy and your supervising lawyer’s instructions; they carry the confidentiality obligations for the matter.
Does PiBye need an internet connection?
PiBye does its detection, review and restoration on your Mac. You choose where the approved copy goes.
What about handwritten notes in a scanned file?
Handwriting is where automated recognition is weakest. Read handwritten pages yourself and remove anything identifying before the copy is shared.
Sources
- Generative AI: Your professional obligations, Law Society of Ontario, April 10, 2024. Checked 17 September 2026.
- Licensee use of generative artificial intelligence (white paper), Law Society of Ontario, April 2024. Checked 17 September 2026.