Must Read Not Legal Advice

Access to justice should not depend on whether someone can afford unlimited legal help.

That is why I am building a Legal Templates and Forms section on

DonTheDataGuy.com.

But access without clarity can become dangerous.

A legal form is not a lawyer.

A template is not legal advice.

A website is not an attorney-client relationship.

And a downloadable document is not a substitute for understanding the facts, deadlines, jurisdiction, court rules, and risks that apply to a real human being’s life.

That is the ethical line I want to draw clearly.

In AI governance, we say a system should not mislead users about what it can do. The same principle applies to legal templates. If a tool helps people organize their thinking, prepare better questions, and understand the structure of common filings, that is valuable. But if it creates the impression that a person has received legal advice when they have not, that is not empowerment. That is risk disguised as access.

The ABA Model Rules warn that communications about legal services must not be false or misleading. [1] ABA guidance on lawyer websites also recognizes that websites can create expectations and that inquiries invited through a website may raise prospective-client concerns. [2] Model Rule 1.18 separately addresses duties that may arise when a person consults a lawyer about possible representation. [3]

That is why my disclaimer will be plain:

These materials are educational.

They are not legal advice.

They do not create an attorney-client relationship.

They may not be current, complete, jurisdiction-specific, or suitable for any particular

case.

And anyone facing a legal deadline, filing, dispute, financial risk, family-law issue, criminal matter, property issue, immigration issue, business issue, or court proceeding should consult a licensed attorney.

That is not legal cowardice.

That is ethical design.

Because the goal is not to replace lawyers with templates.

The goal is to help people become better informed before the system overwhelms them.

Check my citations, validate my sources, and come to your own conclusion.

References

[1] Model Rules of Pro. Conduct r. 7.1 (Am. Bar Ass’n 2024) (providing that a lawyer shall not make a false or misleading communication about the lawyer or the lawyer’s services). (American Bar Association)

[2] ABA Standing Comm. on Ethics & Pro. Resp., Formal Op. 10-457, Lawyer Websites (Aug. 5, 2010) (stating that lawyers should avoid misleading website content, manage expectations created by websites, and carefully handle website-initiated inquiries). (American Bar Association)

[3] Model Rules of Pro. Conduct r. 1.18 (Am. Bar Ass’n 2024) (addressing duties to prospective clients when a person consults a lawyer about possible representation). (American Bar Association)