Private legal AI for Canadian lawyers and small firms
Private legal AI for Canadian lawyers and small firms: matter workspaces, documents stored in Canada, CanLII research, Word and PDF drafts, and no training on your data.
maplelaw is legal AI software built in Canada for Canadian practice: solo lawyers, small and mid-sized firms and in-house counsel who need an AI assistant that keeps each matter private, stores documents in Canada, researches CanLII with linked sources, and never trains on client content.
Frequently asked questions
Can Canadian lawyers use ChatGPT for client work?
No Canadian law society bans ChatGPT or other generative AI, but every one that has issued guidance puts the responsibility on the lawyer: protect confidentiality, understand the tool, and verify every output. Consumer ChatGPT plans use conversations to train models unless that setting is turned off, which is why maplelaw contractually excludes training and keeps matter documents in Canada. Our guide covers what the law societies, the courts and PIPEDA actually require.
Does maplelaw help with Law Society of Ontario and other law society guidance on AI?
maplelaw is designed around the obligations in the Law Society of Ontario white paper and the Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec guidance: matter-level confidentiality, no training on client content, linked CanLII sources so citations can be verified, and a stated data boundary a lawyer can explain to a client. No tool makes a lawyer compliant; verification, supervision and disclosure decisions stay with counsel.
Is maplelaw built for solo lawyers and small firms?
Yes. maplelaw starts with a free plan and no credit card, and Pro and Max add monthly credits and storage for a busier practice. Firms sign in with the Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace accounts they already have, and colleagues can share matters, so a two-lawyer office and a larger firm use the same workspace.
How much does legal AI cost in Canada?
Many legal AI vendors publish no prices. maplelaw does: a Free plan with daily credits and no credit card, and Pro and Max plans priced openly on the pricing page, each with encrypted document storage in Canada and prepaid credit packs to top up.
Do Canadian courts require lawyers to disclose AI use?
It depends on the court. The Federal Court requires a declaration in the first paragraph of any filed document that contains AI-generated content, and courts in Manitoba, Yukon and Nova Scotia require disclosure in some contexts. Ontario and Quebec courts do not require it, and British Columbia and Alberta recommend it. Check the practice direction for the court you are filing in, and verify every authority on CanLII regardless.
What is maplelaw?
maplelaw is a private legal AI agent workspace built for Canadian lawyers. It organizes documents and saved AI conversations by matter, grounds answers in the lawyer's files, researches Canadian law, and creates editable legal drafts.
What can maplelaw do with matter documents?
Lawyers can upload or email documents into a matter, organize them in folders, preview supported files, and attach selected records to an AI conversation. maplelaw can use OCR for scanned or oversized PDFs and ground its analysis in the material the lawyer provides.
Can maplelaw generate Word and PDF legal documents?
Yes. maplelaw can turn a conversation into a formatted Word or PDF draft, including agreements, letters, memoranda and court documents. Drafts created in a saved matter are filed in that matter's Drafts folder.
How does the email inbox for each matter work?
Each matter can have its own intake address. Clients, counsel and staff can send or forward documents to that address, and accepted attachments are filed into the matter's Email folder with their source information.
Does all maplelaw data stay in Canada?
The application, database, matter documents and inbound matter email are designed for Canadian infrastructure. Model inference uses a cross-region profile, so prompts and attached document text may be processed in a United States region. Optional research also sends the search query to a search provider.
Is customer content used to train AI models?
No. Customer prompts, documents and messages are not used to train maplelaw, public or third-party models. Saved matter sessions persist until deleted, while quick chats are not written to maplelaw's database.
Can maplelaw research Canadian case law?
Yes. When research is configured, maplelaw can search CanLII for Canadian cases and legislation and can search the web for current information. Lawyers must still open the primary source and verify every citation before relying on it.
Can my firm use maplelaw together?
Yes. Firms sign in with the Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace accounts they already have — there are no maplelaw passwords — and colleagues from the same organization join the firm automatically. A matter stays private to its owner until the owner shares it with specific colleagues as viewers or editors, and a firm admin can switch off a member's access at any time.
Is maplelaw a substitute for a lawyer's professional judgment?
No. maplelaw is an assistant to counsel. Lawyers remain responsible for verifying citations, reviewing work product, protecting confidentiality, and meeting the rules that apply in their province or territory.