AI does not change the rules on lawyers' fees: the written fee agreement, the criteria for setting fees and the ban on the pacte de quota litis remain those of the Règlement intérieur national (RIN, the national rules of conduct of the French legal profession). The 2026 guide of the CNB (Conseil national des barreaux, the national representative body of French lawyers) does, however, call for balanced and transparent fees that take into account the time saved, the costs of the technology and the lawyer's responsibility.
The Règlement intérieur national of the legal profession devotes its article 11 to fees. In the consolidated version published by the Conseil national des barreaux in July 2026 (RIN, consolidated version), it sets out in particular:
| Rule | What the RIN provides (art. 11) |
|---|---|
| Informing the client | From the moment the matter is entrusted to them, the lawyer informs the client of how fees will be determined and keeps the client regularly informed of how their amount evolves; the lawyer also informs the client of the costs, disbursements and regulated charges (émoluments) they may incur |
| Fee agreement (convention d'honoraires) | Except in cases of urgency, force majeure, full legal aid (aide juridictionnelle totale) or the third part of the Law of 10 July 1991, the lawyer enters into a written agreement that specifies, in particular, the amount or the method of determining the fees covering the foreseeable work, as well as the costs and disbursements envisaged |
| Pacte de quota litis | Prohibited: it is the agreement, made before a final court decision, that sets the entirety of the fees exclusively according to the judicial outcome |
| Business referral (apport d'affaires) | Paying for it is prohibited |
| Advance on fees (provision) | It may not exceed a reasonable estimate of the likely fees and disbursements |
| Detailed account | Before any final settlement, the lawyer provides an account that distinguishes costs and disbursements, regulated charges and fees |
The 2026 CNB guide confirms this for the fee agreement, which "remains mandatory" (p. 40).
On 7 July 2026 the CNB announced the adoption of a decision "tidying up" the RIN, without changing the substance of the law, which notably renumbers provisions and comes into force on its publication in the Journal officiel (the French official gazette). The rules cited here are those of the July 2026 consolidated version.
Fees are set according to custom, depending on the client's financial means, the difficulty of the case, the costs incurred by the lawyer, the lawyer's reputation and the work done. The RIN adds a list of elements on which remuneration depends, in particular, in accordance with custom:
Time appears in this list, alongside research work and the firm's costs and overheads.
The practical guide "La déontologie et l'intelligence artificielle" (Professional ethics and artificial intelligence), adopted by the CNB in March 2026 and published in its first edition in April 2026 (text of the guide), devotes a section to fees (p. 40). It notes that the use of AI may have an impact on the amount of fees, downwards or upwards, and cites an analysis linking the decrease to time saved and the increase to the costs associated with its use.
It states that fees must be set in a balanced and transparent way, taking into account the time saved thanks to AI, the costs of creating, training on and using the technology, and the lawyer's responsibility for AI-generated content. It specifies that the fee agreement, which remains mandatory, plays a central role in allowing lawyer and client to agree on billing practices and terms.
In its section on informing the client (p. 35), the CNB guide offers a model clause that the lawyer could include in the agreement: AI tools are presented there as technical assistance, used on an occasional and supervised basis, which does not replace the lawyer's analysis and judgement, the lawyer retaining full control of and responsibility for the work, with respect for the lawyer's professional secrecy (secret professionnel) and data protection.
The guide also points out:
| Point | The guide's position |
|---|---|
| Informing the client about the use of AI | It is for the lawyer to decide whether to inform the client, depending on the context, the nature of the file and the client's expectations; it is nonetheless relevant to inform the client when the client asks about the lawyer's working practices (p. 34), the guide's summary stating that the lawyer "must" then inform them (p. 36); and when the client's data is used to train an AI system internal to the firm, the client's consent must be obtained (p. 34) |
| Responsibility | The information given to the client does not limit the lawyer's responsibility (p. 34) |
Among the elements of remuneration, the RIN cites the benefits and result obtained for the client. It does, however, prohibit the pacte de quota litis, defined as the agreement that sets the entirety of the fees exclusively according to the judicial outcome. The French administration's official page on lawyers' remuneration presents the success fee (honoraire de résultat) as a supplementary fee, a percentage or a fixed amount determined in advance according to the success of the case, which must remain reasonable (service-public.gouv.fr).
The CNB guide makes the lawyer's responsibility for generated content one of the parameters of fees, and its conclusion (p. 44) points out that AI never relieves the lawyer of their ethical duties, among which it lists reasonable fees. The guide also requires the lawyer to review, check and validate every piece of generated content before using or passing it on (p. 28). On verifying references produced by an AI, see our article on verifying case law cited by an AI, and on the European framework, the one on the AI Act and lawyers.
Plato, the AI specialised in personal injury, now extending to employment law, traces every figure back to the document it comes from, which lets the lawyer check a calculation before using it. The decision and the responsibility remain the lawyer's. On choosing a tool, see how to choose a legal AI in 2026.
Must a lawyer who uses AI lower their fees?
The 2026 CNB guide does not set a direction: it notes that AI can push fees down or up, and calls for balanced and transparent fees that take into account the time saved, the cost of the technology and the lawyer's responsibility.
Is the fee agreement mandatory?
Yes, except in cases of urgency, force majeure, full legal aid or the third part of the Law of 10 July 1991: the lawyer enters into a written agreement that specifies, in particular, the amount or the method of determining the fees and the costs envisaged (RIN, art. 11, July 2026 consolidated version).
Can the cost of an AI tool be taken into account in fees?
The RIN counts the impact of the firm's costs and overheads among the elements of remuneration, and the CNB guide cites the costs of creating, training on and using the technology among the parameters of fees. The terms are set in the fee agreement.
Should the use of AI be mentioned in the fee agreement?
The CNB guide offers a model clause that the lawyer could include in the agreement (p. 35), which presents AI tools as technical assistance, the lawyer retaining control of and responsibility for the work.
Does informing the client about the use of AI limit the lawyer's responsibility?
No. The 2026 CNB guide points out that the information given to the client does not limit the lawyer's responsibility, and the lawyer must review, check and validate every piece of generated content before using or passing it on.
Is a fee set on the amount recovered permitted?
The RIN prohibits the pacte de quota litis, which sets the entirety of the fees exclusively according to the judicial outcome. It does, however, count the benefits and result obtained for the client among the elements of remuneration, and the administration presents the success fee as a supplement, determined in advance, which must remain reasonable.