Guide for law firms
Is an AI notetaker safe for client calls?
By Josef Long, founder of VaultScribe. Published October 17, 2026. This is general information, not legal advice.
It depends on the tool, and the answer is not the same for every firm. What matters is where the recording goes, who is in the room, and what the vendor does with it afterward. Here is what is being alleged in court, what the American Bar Association has said, and six questions worth asking any vendor before a client call.
What lawsuits allege
Several lawsuits now target AI meeting assistants. These are allegations, and none of the companies named has been found liable.
- NPR, August 15, 2025: "Class-action suit claims Otter AI secretly records private work conversations." Read the story.
- National Law Review, January 8, 2026: "Illinois BIPA Suit Targets AI Note-Takers- Practical Lessons for Meeting Transcription." A complaint against Fireflies.AI Corp. alleges it collected voiceprints without the notice and written consent Illinois law requires. Read the article.
- Top Class Actions, March 19, 2026: "Fireflies.AI sued over alleged unlawful data collection from meeting participants." Read the article.
- U.S. District Court, N.D. California, August 13, 2026: "In re: Otter.ai Privacy Litigation: Order Granting Motion to Dismiss in Part," via FindLaw. It is a ruling on a motion to dismiss, not a finding of liability. Read the order.
What the American Bar Association says
On July 29, 2024, the ABA's ethics committee issued Formal Opinion 512, "Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools." It says lawyers using these tools must consider their duties of competence, communication and fees, and the duty to keep client information confidential under Model Rule 1.6. It discusses when a lawyer needs a client's informed consent before putting client information into a tool, and says generic wording buried in an engagement letter is not enough. Read the opinion. Your state's rules may differ, so check them.
Six questions to ask any AI notetaker vendor
- Where do the audio and the transcript live, and who can access them? Ask for the answer in writing, including staff at the vendor and any subprocessors.
- Does it join the call as a participant? A bot in the meeting is visible to everyone on the call. Ask how participants who are not your clients or colleagues are told.
- Is the content used to train models? If so, ask whether you can opt out, and whether the opt-out covers everything.
- Does it identify speakers by voice? Voice identification can create voiceprints, which some laws treat as biometric information. Ask what consent it collects.
- Can you see every outside request, and delete data? You want a log you can read and a retention setting you control.
- Who reviews the output before anyone relies on it? Machine transcripts contain errors. A lawyer should check anything that matters.
Where VaultScribe fits
VaultScribe is a pre-release tool built around these questions. It transcribes on the firm's own computers, does not join calls as a bot, lists every outside request in a log, and keeps sending, deleting and sharing behind a person's click. It is not available to buy or download yet. I am looking for a few law firms to try it as founding design partners, with a non-binding letter of intent and terms agreed on a call.
This page is general information and is not legal advice. Transcripts from any tool are machine transcripts and are not certified. VaultScribe has not yet had an independent security audit.