By Charles M. Kronzek | The Kronzek Firm | OaklandCountyFamilyLaw.com
Charles M. Kronzek is a Michigan family law attorney with more than 32 years of experience representing clients in divorce, custody, and child protective proceedings (CPS cases) throughout Oakland County, Macomb County, Metro Detroit, and Livingston County.
If you are going through a divorce, custody dispute, or any other family law matter here in Oakland County, Michigan, you have probably noticed that AI tools like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and similar platforms are everywhere. People use them to draft emails, organize their thoughts, and answer questions they would have once searched for online.
It is a natural temptation to turn to those same tools when your family law case feels overwhelming. We understand. Family law proceedings are stressful, confusing, and deeply personal. But before you type anything into an AI platform related to your case, there are serious risks you need to understand.
Why AI and Family Law Cases Are a Risky Combination
Consumer AI platforms are not confidential. When you type information into a chatbot, an AI app, or even Google, you may be sharing that information with servers, training datasets, or third parties in ways that are difficult to fully understand or control. In a family law case — where your parenting fitness, financial disclosures, and personal communications may all be scrutinized — one careless upload can cause real and lasting damage.
This is not a hypothetical concern. Michigan courts, including Oakland County Circuit Court, take evidentiary issues seriously. Information shared digitally can be discoverable. Metadata matters. Timestamps matter. What you thought was a private conversation with an AI may not stay private. Courts have ruled that you do not have a confidentiality privilege for your online searches with AI. If you want to preserve your privacy and confidentiality, an attorney-client privilege is the correct way for you to proceed.
Smart Practices for Oakland County Divorce and Custody Clients
If you are involved in a divorce, custody case, parenting time dispute, or child protective services (CPS) matter in Oakland County or the surrounding Metro Detroit area, follow these guidelines carefully:
- Ask your attorney before uploading any legal documents to AI. Every case is different. What seems harmless may not be.
- Do not input privileged communications. Anything you share with your attorney is protected — unless you share it with a third party, including an AI tool. Anything that you put into AI can be used against you via the third-party doctrine, which means you have no reasonable expectation of privacy if there is sensitive information that can be used against you in a court of law.
- Do not upload custody evidence or discovery materials. These are sensitive documents with potential evidentiary value. Treat them accordingly.
- Do not rely on AI for Michigan legal advice. Michigan family law is governed by state statutes, local court rules, and county-specific practices that AI tools are not equipped to accurately interpret for your specific situation.
- Use AI only for neutral, non-sensitive tasks — things like grammar checks on a general email, organizing your personal calendar, or formatting a list of questions for your attorney.
- Assume anything typed into a consumer AI platform could later matter because it could.
Can AI Be Useful at All During a Family Law Case?
Yes — with clear limits.
There are some low-risk ways AI can help you stay organized and communicate more effectively during a difficult time:
- Organizing questions you want to ask your attorney before a meeting
- Summarizing your own handwritten notes for personal reference
- Creating general checklists for tasks unrelated to legal strategy
- Proofreading non-sensitive drafts like school pickup arrangements or scheduling emails
- Managing your personal calendar during parenting time transitions
These are appropriate uses. But even in these limited roles, keep your case details out of it. AI should never replace legal advice from an experienced Oakland County family law attorney. The cost of a mistake in your case is far too high.
Why Local Legal Guidance in Oakland County Matters
Michigan family law cases are not resolved by general principles alone. They depend on specific state statutes, local court rules, individual judicial practices, and the facts unique to your situation.
What happens in Oakland County Circuit Court — where cases are heard in the Family Division at 1200 Telegraph Rd. in Pontiac — may differ significantly from practices in Wayne County, Macomb County, or Livingston County. Judges in different counties weigh evidence differently. Friend of the Court offices operate with their own procedures and caseload pressures. Local experience is not a luxury in family law; it is a necessity.
AI cannot evaluate:
- The tendencies of your assigned Oakland County judge
- Friend of the Court practices specific to Oakland County or Livingston County
- The evidentiary risks of how your case is positioned
- Your settlement leverage relative to the other party
- Witness credibility and how it will land in a courtroom
- Whether an emergency motion or custody filing is strategically appropriate
Only an experienced Michigan family law attorney who knows these courts, these judges, and these local procedures can make those calls.
Contact The Kronzek Firm — Oakland County Family Law Attorneys
AI tools are convenient. But convenience is not the same as confidentiality, nor is it the same as a competent legal strategy.
If you are facing divorce, custody litigation, parenting time disputes, or child protective proceedings in Oakland County, Macomb County, Jackson County, or Livingston County, be careful what you share online. One careless upload can create problems you never anticipated.
At The Kronzek Firm, we represent clients throughout Metro Detroit and Southeast Michigan in high-conflict family law matters. Whether your case is in Pontiac, Troy, Novi, Southfield, Farmington Hills, Brighton, or any of the surrounding communities, our attorneys know these courts and are ready to protect your rights.
Our attorneys have helped thousands of Michigan families navigate divorce and custody cases for more than 32 years. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
📞 Call us anytime at (248) 479-6200 📧 Email us at contactus@kronzek.law
The Kronzek Firm serves clients throughout Oakland County, Macomb County, Jackson County, and Livingston County, Michigan.