Before you flip on AI summaries for your next client call, pause for a second. Your GC is going to ask the same thing you are: is Zoom AI Companion safe for law firms?

In 2025, the real answer hinges on how you run it. Safety has more to do with your settings, your habits, and your paper trail than the feature itself. Think confidentiality controls, privilege, and clear client consent.

This guide walks through what AI Companion actually does, where meeting data lives, and which admin switches matter. We’ll hit privilege and discoverability in recordings, transcripts, and summaries, model‑training opt‑outs, retention and legal holds, and the E2EE trade‑off. You’ll get a simple policy by meeting type, consent language and host scripts, DLP and logging tips, and a rollout plan your IT and risk teams can actually use.

We’ll also show how LegalSoul helps you put these controls to work without adding busywork.

Executive summary and who this guide is for

Short version: yes, you can use Zoom AI Companion safely—if you set it up with caution and treat it like any system that touches privileged work. If you’re a managing partner, CIO, firm GC, or practice lead, this comes down to three levers: features you allow, how long artifacts stick around, and getting (and recording) client consent.

Zoom has said since 2023 that customer content isn’t used to train its or third‑party models without opt‑in. Admins can control AI Companion at the account, group, and user levels. That’s the baseline. Your edge is matter‑tiered defaults, tight access, and regular audits.

Assume anything stored in the cloud could be produced. Create less, keep less, share less. Default AI off for Tier‑1 matters, allow for internal or non‑privileged meetings, and require explicit consent on client calls. Lock down retention and sharing. Then check the logs and see if people are following the plan.

What Zoom AI Companion does in 2025 (feature overview)

AI Companion can summarize meetings, suggest action items, draft messages, and answer questions from in‑meeting content—audio, video, screen share, chat. Many of these depend on cloud processing, and everyone gets a notice when AI is on. Admins decide who can use what and where the outputs land.

Here’s the part lawyers care about: every recording, transcript, and AI‑generated summary is potentially discoverable. With end‑to‑end encryption (E2EE), most cloud AI features (and cloud recording) won’t work. You’re swapping convenience for confidentiality. That’s often the right trade for sensitive matters.

Example: internal training? Turn on summaries with a 7‑day retention and keep them inside the firm. Confidential client strategy? Use E2EE and human notes. If summaries are enabled, route them to a controlled repository—not a personal drive. Simple rule: if you wouldn’t email it to opposing counsel, don’t let it sit in the cloud.

Threat model for law firms: confidentiality, privilege, client consent

Think about four ways things go wrong: capturing what you shouldn’t, storing longer than you need, sharing too widely, and letting content slip into model training. Confidentiality breaks when AI runs on the wrong meeting. Privilege cracks when artifacts float around or land where non‑firm folks can see them.

ABA Model Rule 1.6 points to reasonable safeguards. Treat Zoom AI confidentiality settings for attorneys like any other system with client data. Get informed consent for AI‑assisted work, especially when clients are sensitive to it.

Real‑world scenario: a team enabled summaries for a strategy call. An auto‑share sent the summary to a vendor mailbox. No breach, but it showed up in discovery requests. Tighten sharing, narrow distribution, and turn off external links by default. Also, scrub meeting titles and chat—deal codes and names often leak into summaries. And make sure your account is opted out of any model training unless your GC signs off.

Data flow and retention: where content goes and how it’s used

Map the data first. Customer content: audio/video, chat, transcripts, AI summaries. Telemetry: meeting and performance metadata. Zoom’s Trust Center says customer content isn’t used to train models without consent, and admins can set retention for recordings and other artifacts.

Design retention by matter tier: 0‑day auto‑delete for Tier‑1 unless there’s a legal hold. 7–30 days for internal non‑privileged sessions. Anything longer needs GC approval. Treat chat logs separately; they’re often forgotten but can be just as sensitive.

Set deletion at the platform and mirror it downstream so nothing lingers. Summaries often quote people—treat them as privileged, same as transcripts. Disable external downloads, restrict who can view cloud recordings, and alert on shares outside your domain. If you have EU clients, cross‑border data residency Zoom EU clients GDPR considerations can drive configuration choices. Document your Zoom data retention policy best practices for law firms, then test them quarterly by attempting to retrieve artifacts you think were purged—verification beats assumptions.

Admin configuration checklist for 2025 (account, group, user, meeting)

Layer your controls. Account level: SSO and MFA enforced, AI features off by default, opt out of customer‑content model training. Group level: profiles by practice or sensitivity—e.g., summaries allowed with 14‑day retention; internal‑only summaries; Tier‑1 with no cloud AI and E2EE allowed.

User level: limit who can start cloud recordings or generate summaries. Keep controls host‑only. Meeting templates: require AI notices and watermarking, authenticated participants, waiting rooms, and domain‑restricted joins.

Add DLP keyword blocks for client names, deal codes, and PII in titles and chat. Zoom AI Companion admin controls 2025 should include short default retention, external sharing off, downloads off, and granular audit logs. Build a firmwide “Kill Switch” profile to shut off AI instantly if needed, and test it. Add a pre‑check that blocks AI if the calendar entry shows a Tier‑1 tag or no consent on file. Export settings monthly so you catch configuration drift early.

Meeting types and default policies (tiered risk approach)

Use three tiers. Tier‑1 (litigation strategy, M&A pre‑announce, privileged counseling): AI off, E2EE allowed, no cloud recording, human notes only. Tier‑2 (client‑facing but lower sensitivity: status calls, training): summaries allowed with written or recorded consent, 7–14 day retention, internal sharing only.

Tier‑3 (internal non‑privileged: ops, BD): AI on, short retention, keep inside the firm. A confidential bid strategy call? Tier‑1—no AI, be careful with chat. A billing huddle? Tier‑3—summaries can help capture tasks.

Disable AI features for sensitive matters Zoom so nothing gets processed by accident. Bake tiering into templates and calendar labels so hosts don’t decide on the fly. If any guest joins, drop one tier unless you have consent and NDAs. Use generic meeting titles; store matter IDs in your DMS, not in Zoom artifacts.

Consent, disclosures, and recordkeeping

Clients want clarity. Add consent language to engagement letters: what AI features you might use (like AI‑generated meeting summaries), where data is stored, how long, and how to opt out. For in‑meeting consent, a simple script works: “We can enable AI summaries to capture action items. They’ll sit in our system for seven days and won’t be shared outside your team. Okay to proceed?”

If anyone says no, turn AI and cloud recording off right away. Log the decision in the matter file with date, time, host. ABA Model Rule 1.6 and competence under Rule 1.1 both point toward telling clients what you’re doing and backing it with controls.

Mark outputs “Privileged—Do Not Distribute.” If allowed in your jurisdiction, record the consent statement at the start. Add a calendar checklist that blocks AI when a consent tag isn’t present. Client consent for AI‑generated meeting summaries isn’t just polite—it avoids arguments later.

Encryption, identity, and network posture (E2EE vs cloud AI)

E2EE gives you maximum confidentiality and disables most cloud AI features and cloud recording. For Tier‑1, that’s ideal. For other meetings, tighten identity and network controls to reduce risk.

Require SSO and MFA for everyone. Only authenticated, domain‑approved participants can join. Use waiting rooms and manual admits when guests are involved. On the network side, consider IP allowlists for hosts, device posture checks, and block PSTN dial‑ins for sensitive sessions.

Treat end‑to‑end encryption vs Zoom AI features like a toggle in your matter‑tier templates. For extra‑sensitive work, create “clean room” host accounts with limited permissions and no recording ability. Rotate host keys and audit encryption settings. For cross‑border work, respect client data localization preferences and store them in intake so the right template is picked at scheduling.

Access controls, DLP, and audit logging

Least privilege makes everything safer. Keep recording and summary generation to a small set of hosts. Default access to host‑only, grant others temporary access with an expiry.

Enable DLP and audit logging in Zoom for legal teams. Block public links and external shares. Create keyword blocks for client names, deal codes, and regulated data in titles and chat. Route artifacts into a secure repository tied to the matter team, not individuals.

Now verify. Export logs monthly. Check who accessed what and compare against your tiering policy. Set alerts for any external shares or downloads. Add just‑in‑time access requests that ask for a reason, and log it. Keep audit logs longer than the artifacts so investigations are possible. Have practice leads attest quarterly that settings look right and exceptions are documented.

Handling AI-generated artifacts safely

Treat AI outputs like any other work product: classify, minimize, control. As soon as a summary or transcript exists, tag it with matter ID and sensitivity. Store it under firm control, not on personal drives.

Disable external sharing and downloads. If you must share, use watermarked links that expire and record recipients. Redact unneeded personal or privileged details before a wider audience sees it.

Legal hold and eDiscovery considerations for Zoom transcripts are real. When a hold lands, pause deletion for relevant items and document why. When it’s lifted, go back to normal. A practical setup: keep raw recordings/transcripts briefly, then retain only the trimmed, redacted summary in the matter file. Also mind chat—either disable it for Tier‑1 or run it through the same classification and retention flow. Less data created means less to protect (and less to produce).

Ethics, privilege, and cross-border considerations

Your duties don’t change because AI helped. Under ABA Model Rules 1.1 and 1.6, you need to understand the tech enough to use it safely and protect client info. Prevent privilege waiver by limiting distribution, marking artifacts, and keeping them behind matter‑based access controls.

When third parties (experts, vendors) need access, use NDAs and keep detailed logs. For cross‑border clients, match GDPR and local rules—cross-border data residency Zoom EU clients GDPR may require regional processing or specific contract terms. Ask in intake if the client bans cloud recordings or AI; many do.

Be transparent in billing. If AI speeds things up, reflect that in staffing and time entries. Supervise non‑lawyers and check AI summaries for accuracy. Summaries can flatten nuance, so for contentious topics, prefer human‑validated notes. Document your call on using or avoiding AI features for each matter so you can explain it later if needed.

Incident response and continuous monitoring

Most “AI incidents” are process issues: summaries created on the wrong meeting, an auto‑share to the wrong inbox, a retention rule that didn’t apply. Build a simple playbook: identify what exists and where, contain it (revoke links, pull access, hit the Kill Switch if necessary), assess privilege and client impact, notify the right people, fix the root cause.

Speed matters—hours, not days. Set alerts for new external shares, downloads, long‑retention artifacts, and AI used on Tier‑1 meetings. Track usage by tier, exceptions, and time‑to‑revocation after a mis‑share.

Run quarterly tabletop drills. Example: “AI summary emailed to opposing counsel.” See where you stumble. Stand up a review board so new AI Companion features don’t get enabled without a risk look. Ask practice groups for feedback; they’ll tell you where friction is real so you can tune templates without compromising safety.

Training and change management for hosts and staff

Policies don’t help if people forget them mid‑meeting. Train hosts, attorneys, and assistants on three basics: pick the right template by matter tier, announce AI status and get consent, and handle artifacts the right way.

Keep it short and embedded where people work—calendar add‑ins, scheduling pages, in‑meeting prompts. Share a pre‑meeting checklist: confirm tier, confirm consent, confirm AI and retention settings.

Offer quick host scripts for yes/no consent and what to say if consent is declined. Refresh quarterly and tie certification to access—no training, no AI features. Add tooltips when someone tries to enable AI on a Tier‑1 template. Keep an intranet FAQ lawyers can scan in 30 seconds. Share anonymized near‑misses; stories stick and keep Zoom AI confidentiality settings for attorneys top of mind.

How LegalSoul enhances safety and governance

LegalSoul helps you put all of this into practice without burying people in checklists. At matter intake, it sets the sensitivity tier and enforces the right Zoom settings: AI off for Tier‑1, consent required for client calls, short retention for internal meetings.

It adds DLP rules so client names, deal codes, and PII can’t slip into titles, chat, or summaries. Any AI outputs go straight into the right matter workspace with locked‑down access. Consent gets captured once—via the engagement letter or in‑meeting—and shown to hosts. No consent, no AI.

LegalSoul logs every access, share, and deletion, then builds monthly audit reports for your GC and practice leads. It supports bring‑your‑own‑key encryption and regional routing when clients require it. If something goes sideways, the Kill Switch turns AI off firmwide and kicks off an incident checklist. It can also trim summaries to action‑items only and auto‑redact based on your policy, reducing the data you carry while keeping the value.

Implementation roadmap (30/60/90 days)

0–30 days: inventory your Zoom settings, who’s using AI features, and how sharing works today. Turn AI features off by default, opt out of model training, require SSO/MFA, and block external sharing and downloads. Draft a tiered policy and a pre‑meeting checklist. Pilot with a small practice group and capture what helps vs. what annoys. Update engagement letters to mention AI summaries, retention, and consent.

31–60 days: roll out meeting templates by tier, DLP keyword blocks, and consent workflows. Set retention (0‑day for Tier‑1, 7–14 days internal). Enable monthly audit exports and alerts for external shares and Tier‑1 violations. Train hosts and assistants and require acknowledgment before AI can be turned on.

61–90 days: hook into your DMS so summaries land in the right matter file with proper permissions. Add just‑in‑time access. Build dashboards by practice (usage by tier, exceptions, incidents). Run a tabletop drill. Tune policies using the data and partner feedback. Set a quarterly review cadence and require a quick risk review before new AI Companion features are enabled.

FAQs and decision guide

• Does AI Companion train on our content? Zoom has said it doesn’t use customer content for training without opt‑in. Check your admin portal and contracts, and lock it down in writing.
• Does using AI features waive privilege? Not by itself. Risk comes from distribution and access. Keep artifacts internal, mark them privileged, and restrict to the matter team.
• What features fit each tier? Tier‑1: E2EE, no cloud AI, no recording. Tier‑2: summaries with consent, short retention. Tier‑3: internal summaries, short retention, internal use only.
• How should we handle retention? Default to delete quickly; extend only with GC approval or legal hold.
• What about cross‑border clients? Match data residency requirements; some will prohibit cloud recording or AI features.
• If a client declines AI? Turn it off immediately and take human notes.
• Rule of thumb: if the meeting would look bad in discovery, don’t let it create cloud artifacts. Related search terms: attorney‑client privilege Zoom recordings and summaries; Zoom cloud recording access controls for law firms.

Quick takeaways

• Zoom AI Companion can be safe for law firms when you treat it like privileged infrastructure: default AI off, tier by matter, require client consent, and enforce least‑privilege access.
• Assume artifacts are discoverable: opt out of model training, keep retention short with auto‑delete, block external sharing/downloads, turn on DLP, and review audit logs every month.
• Use E2EE and no cloud AI for Tier‑1. For low‑risk or internal meetings, allow summaries with short retention. Standardize checklists, consent scripts, and keep a firmwide Kill Switch ready.
• Make it real with process: update engagement letters, train hosts, run incident drills, and do quarterly reviews. LegalSoul handles matter‑level controls, consent, BYOK encryption, and centralized auditing so lawyers get the benefits without the leakage.

Conclusion

Zoom AI Companion can be safe for law firms when you govern it with the same care you give to privileged systems. Start with AI off by default, a tiered policy (E2EE and no cloud AI for Tier‑1), clear client consent, short retention, blocked external sharing, and strong DLP and logging. Treat recordings, transcripts, and summaries as discoverable and only create them when they truly help.

Want to put this in place without adding headaches? Book a LegalSoul demo. See matter‑level controls, consent workflows, BYOK encryption, and audit reports in action—and give partners confidence to use AI responsibly in 2025.