Cliff McKinney has authored three articles related to artificial intelligence and its impact on the legal practice that were recently published.
“Ethics of Artificial Intelligence for Lawyers: Shall We Play A Game? The Rise of Artificial Intelligence and the First Cases” and “Ethics of Artificial Intelligence for Lawyers: I’m Sorry Dave, I’m Afraid I Can’t Do That: Competence, Confidentiality, and Communication” are the first two installments of a nine-part series on the use of artificial intelligence in the legal profession written by Cliff for Arkansas Law Notes, the exclusive publication for the Arkansas Law Review.
This first installment of this series lays the foundation with a brief history of artificial intelligence, the rise of generative models, and the problem of “hallucinations” that make these tools especially dangerous for lawyers. It also surveys the first wave of cases, where courts sanctioned attorneys and pro se litigants for relying on hallucinated citations, imposed new procedural safeguards, and began confronting broader disputes over evidence, intellectual property, education, and government transparency. The second installment explores three pillars of Formal Opinion 512: competence, confidentiality, and communication, and focuses on what lawyers need to understand about artificial intelligence, how they must safeguard client information when using these new tools, and when they are required to disclose its use to clients. These articles can be found here and here.
“The New Power Equation: Small Modular Reactors and the Real Estate Law of America’s Next Energy Frontier” appears in the Winter 2026 issue of USLAW Magazine. As artificial intelligence, data centers, and quantum computing drive unprecedented electricity demand, states and utilities are turning to small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) as a potential source of clean, reliable power. This article explores the real estate, land use, and regulatory challenges that will determine where and how these advanced reactors are deployed across the United States. It highlights key issues such as site selection, zoning compatibility, environmental review, and legal liability that developers and counsel must address as America’s energy infrastructure enters a new era. You can read this article here.
Cliff McKinney is a nationally sought-after authority on artificial intelligence in the legal profession, known for delivering practical, engaging, and ethically grounded guidance that lawyers can use immediately. His programs are valued for cutting through the hype and fear surrounding AI, replacing it with clarity, competence, and compliance. A managing member of Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull PLLC, Cliff brings decades of real-world legal experience to his nationwide presentations on AI tools, prompt engineering, professional responsibility, risk management, and best practices for law firm adoption. He has presented for organizations including the American Bar Association (ABA) and the American College of Mortgage Attorneys (ACMA), and has written extensively on AI for ACMA, USLAW, and the Arkansas Law Review. Mr. McKinney holds a Prompt Engineering Specialization certification from Vanderbilt University and is a Fellow of both the American College of Real Estate Lawyers and the American College of Mortgage Attorneys.
Arkansas Law Notes was first published in the mid-1980s as a paper-only journal of short articles written by the faculty of the University of Arkansas School of Law, and delivered to Arkansas lawyers. It has evolved over the years and is now the Arkansas Law Review’s exclusive online publication. Law Notes is positioned to deliver a quick publication turnaround for timely, relevant scholarship relating to current Arkansas and national legal issues.
USLAW Magazine is an in-depth publication produced and designed by USLAW Network, Inc. to address legal and business issues facing commercial and corporate clients. USLAW Network, Inc. is an invitation-only network of independent law firms providing commercial clients with access to top trial and transactional counsel locally and worldwide. Comprised of 90 law firms worldwide and consisting of approximately 6,000 lawyers providing a full scope of legal services, USLAW ranks among the top 15 international legal networks in overall size, with locations in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. Affiliation with TELFA (Trans European Law Firm Alliance) provides USLAW with geographic coverage throughout Europe.