Law firm practice areas and AI data licensing

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ABA Model Rule 1.6(a) bars revealing information relating to the representation of a client without informed consent or an exception (Rule 1.6), and Rule 1.9 carries duties to former clients (Rule 1.9). Your state's version is the one that binds you. Mode's minimum for legal is 10 employees; micro1 asks for 30+. Census doesn't count firms by practice area, so size tables show all U.S. law offices.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Statistics of U.S. Businesses 2022, detailed employment sizes. Firms (enterprises) by paid employees; contractors are not counted. Each column sums the Census size classes at or above that size.

This is general information, not legal advice. Talk to your own attorney or compliance advisor before you share or license any records.

Personal injury firms

Typical personal injury matter files include:

• Client medical records and bills gathered to prove damages
• Accident and police reports, photos and witness statements
• Insurer claim files and adjuster correspondence
• Settlement amounts and releases, which often carry their own confidentiality terms

What a firm might consider instead (candidates for ethics review, not approved items):

• Blank intake scripts and questionnaires
• Demand-letter and settlement-statement templates with no client facts
• Case-stage workflows and deadline checklists described at process level
• Marketing and referral-source tracking with client details removed
• Vendor processes for records retrieval and medical-bill requests

Most of a PI file is health information. Keep health records, payment card data and children's data out of scope entirely: each has its own legal rules, and a buyer's de-identification doesn't change that. In practice that means a PI firm's licensable scope is mostly its operations, not its case files. Settlement releases may also bind the firm to confidentiality, so read them before any matter-level material is considered.

Family law firms

Typical family law matter files include:

• Financial affidavits, tax returns and bank statements exchanged in divorce
• Custody evaluations and information about children
• Protective-order petitions and abuse allegations
• Sealed or confidential court filings

What a firm might consider instead (candidates for ethics review, not approved items):

• Blank financial-disclosure worksheets and intake forms
• Parenting-plan and settlement templates with no client facts
• Scheduling, billing and trust-accounting procedures at process level
• Staff training and internal practice guides

Family files often hold information about minors. Keep health records, payment card data and children's data out of scope entirely: each has its own legal rules, and a buyer's de-identification doesn't change that. Anything a court has sealed or ordered confidential should stay out entirely, whatever the buyer's process.

Immigration law firms

Typical immigration law matter files include:

• Passports, birth certificates and other identity documents
• Immigration status and case histories
• Asylum declarations and evidence of persecution
• Criminal-history and employment records submitted with applications

What a firm might consider instead (candidates for ethics review, not approved items):

• Blank form-preparation checklists
• Case-status workflows and filing procedures at process level
• Translation and document-vendor processes
• Client-communication templates without case facts

Identity documents and status information are hard to de-identify because they are identifying by nature. A cautious scope excludes client case files entirely and focuses on how the practice runs: intake, deadlines, document collection and staff workflows.

IP law firms

Typical intellectual property matter files include:

• Invention disclosures and unfiled or unpublished patent applications
• Client trade secrets shared for prosecution or litigation
• Trademark clearance searches and brand strategy
• License and settlement negotiations

What a firm might consider instead (candidates for ethics review, not approved items):

• Docketing procedures and deadline workflows
• Blank invention-disclosure forms
• Prosecution process guides with no client matter content
• Firm marketing and business-development records

The USPTO must keep patent applications in confidence, with limited exceptions such as publication (35 U.S.C. § 122). A client's trade secret is protected only if the owner 'has taken reasonable measures to keep such information secret' (18 U.S.C. § 1839). Releasing client technical material to a third party could undercut both, on top of your Rule 1.6 duty.

Estate planning firms

Typical estate planning matter files include:

• Family wealth, asset lists and beneficiary choices
• Health information relevant to capacity
• Wills, trusts and powers of attorney
• Family conflict and disinheritance notes

What a firm might consider instead (candidates for ethics review, not approved items):

• Blank intake questionnaires
• Signing-ceremony and trust-funding checklists
• Client-communication templates without client facts
• Billing, scheduling and document-assembly procedures

Many estate clients have died by the time their files are old enough to be valuable. The U.S. Supreme Court held that attorney-client privilege survives the client's death (Swidler & Berlin v. United States), and confidentiality duties continue to former clients (Rule 1.9). Age doesn't make an estate file licensable.

Criminal defense firms

Typical criminal defense matter files include:

• Client statements and defense strategy
• Discovery from the prosecution, including police reports and recordings
• Criminal histories, mental-health and other mitigation records
• Plea negotiations

What a firm might consider instead (candidates for ethics review, not approved items):

• Firm administration: IT, HR policies and vendor management
• Blank motion and letter templates without case facts
• Scheduling, court-calendar and billing procedures
• Staff training materials

In federal cases a court 'may, for good cause, deny, restrict, or defer discovery' and grant other relief, which is how protective orders limit what defense teams can do with discovery (Fed. R. Crim. P. 16(d)). Material under a protective order should never be part of a license.

Employment law firms

Typical employment law matter files include:

• Personnel files, performance reviews and discipline records
• Discrimination, harassment and retaliation allegations
• Medical-leave and accommodation records
• Wage, payroll and severance data

What a firm might consider instead (candidates for ethics review, not approved items):

• Firm-authored handbook and policy templates
• Blank intake questionnaires
• Investigation and litigation workflows described at process level
• Training materials and CLE content the firm owns

Employment files hold both client information and third parties' personal data: coworkers, witnesses, managers. Medical-leave and accommodation records are health information. Keep health records, payment card data and children's data out of scope entirely: each has its own legal rules, and a buyer's de-identification doesn't change that.

Real estate law firms

Typical real estate law matter files include:

• Closing files with Social Security numbers and loan documents
• Wire and bank-account instructions
• Title commitments, surveys and lease negotiations
• Purchase prices and deal terms

What a firm might consider instead (candidates for ethics review, not approved items):

• Closing checklists and timelines
• Blank purchase-agreement and lease templates
• Title-review and document-collection workflows
• Vendor coordination procedures

Closing files concentrate identity numbers and bank details. Keep health records, payment card data and children's data out of scope entirely: each has its own legal rules, and a buyer's de-identification doesn't change that. Bank and wire instructions should be excluded at the source, not left to de-identification.

Bankruptcy law firms

Typical bankruptcy matter files include:

• Debtors' full financial pictures: income, debts, assets
• Tax returns and pay stubs
• Creditor lists and collection history
• Notes on why the client is in financial trouble

What a firm might consider instead (candidates for ethics review, not approved items):

• Blank intake and document-request checklists
• Means-test and filing workflows at process level
• Court-calendar and deadline procedures
• Client-education materials the firm wrote

Bankruptcy schedules are filed with the court, but Rule 1.6 covers 'information relating to the representation of a client', not just secrets (Rule 1.6). Tax returns in your files may also be covered by IRC 7216 if your firm prepared them (26 U.S.C. § 7216).

Corporate law firms

Typical business and corporate law matter files include:

• Deal documents, cap tables and data-room materials
• Material nonpublic information about clients
• Third parties' confidential information received under NDAs
• Board minutes and governance advice

What a firm might consider instead (candidates for ethics review, not approved items):

• Closing checklists and entity-formation workflows
• Blank agreement templates the firm drafted
• Conflict-check and matter-intake procedures
• Business-development records

Transaction files usually include counterparties' information received under NDAs and data-room terms. Those contracts bind the firm or its client separately from ethics rules, so map them before scoping. Information about public-company clients can also be material nonpublic information, which you should keep out entirely.

Workers' comp firms

Typical workers' compensation matter files include:

• Medical records and treating-physician reports
• Wage statements and employment history
• Injury reports and claim files
• Settlement and benefit calculations

What a firm might consider instead (candidates for ethics review, not approved items):

• Blank intake scripts and claim checklists
• Hearing-preparation workflows at process level
• Deadline and calendar procedures
• Client-education materials the firm wrote

Comp files are mostly medical. Keep health records, payment card data and children's data out of scope entirely: each has its own legal rules, and a buyer's de-identification doesn't change that. Expect the licensable scope to be the firm's procedures and communications that hold no claim facts.

Tax law firms

Typical tax law matter files include:

• Tax returns and IRS correspondence
• Audit, collection and appeals files
• Voluntary-disclosure and penalty matters
• Business and personal financial statements

What a firm might consider instead (candidates for ethics review, not approved items):

• Blank engagement and document-request checklists
• Controversy workflows described at process level
• Firm-written client-education materials
• Billing and scheduling procedures

Section 7216 reaches people engaged in the business of preparing returns or providing services in connection with their preparation (26 U.S.C. § 7216). If your firm prepares returns, the consent rules in 26 CFR 301.7216-3 apply on top of Rule 1.6.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. Mode / BizBuyData referral pagebizbuydata.com
2. ABA Model Rule 1.6, Confidentiality of Informationamericanbar.org
3. ABA Model Rule 1.9, Duties to Former Clientsamericanbar.org
4. U.S. Census Bureau, Statistics of U.S. Businesses 2022, detailed employment sizeswww2.census.gov
5. micro1 company referral pagemicro1.ai
6. Mode affiliate FAQ (PDF, dated Oct 14, 2026)bizbuydata.com
7. 35 U.S.C. § 122, Confidential status of patent applications (Cornell LII)law.cornell.edu
8. 18 U.S.C. § 1839, Definitions (trade secret) (Cornell LII)law.cornell.edu
9. Swidler & Berlin v. United States, 524 U.S. 399 (1998) (Cornell LII)law.cornell.edu
10. Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 16 (Cornell LII)law.cornell.edu
11. 26 U.S.C. § 7216 (Cornell LII)law.cornell.edu
12. 26 CFR § 301.7216-3, Disclosure or use permitted only with the taxpayer's consent (Cornell LII)law.cornell.edu

Referral-fee disclosure: we may be paid by a program if your company signs with it after using this site. General information only, not legal advice.

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