AI tools and client data

Is Spellbook safe for client data?

Short answer: Whether Spellbook is safe for client data turns on which plan your staff are on, which account they signed in with, and what you have told them they may put in it — not on the product itself. On Law Firms and on In-House Teams, we did not find a statement about model training in the pages we read. Every fact on this page is Spellbook's own, quoted from its own pages and dated, and where we did not find a statement this page says so rather than filling the gap. Obsidian Ridge's free 30-day AI security assessment shows which AI tools your staff actually use.

By Kfir Yair, CISSP. Published . Updated .

See which AI tools your staff use

Plan by plan, in Spellbook’s own words

Spellbook reviews and drafts contracts in Microsoft Word and provides the Associate legal assistant.

What you are askingLaw FirmsIn-House Teams
Trains the vendor's models by defaultNot found in the pages we read.Not found in the pages we read.
How to turn training offNot found in the pages we read.Not found in the pages we read.
How long data is keptQuality-assurance inputs and outputs may be retained for up to 90 days, then deleted. This is the QA-data limit, not a blanket document-retention period.“retained for no longer than 90 days from the date of collection, then permanently deleted” source, read Quality-assurance inputs and outputs may be retained for up to 90 days, then deleted. This is the QA-data limit, not a blanket document-retention period.“retained for no longer than 90 days from the date of collection, then permanently deleted” source, read
What an admin can see or controlNot found in the pages we read.Not found in the pages we read.
Single sign-onReview the Microsoft account used for the Word add-in's single sign-on.“uses Microsoft accounts for SSO” source, read Review the Microsoft account used for the Word add-in's single sign-on.“uses Microsoft accounts for SSO” source, read
Business Associate AgreementSpellbook says it can review and agree to a BAA with customers; confirm the agreement covers your use before sending patient information.“can review and agree to a BAA with customers” source, read Spellbook says it can review and agree to a BAA with customers; confirm the agreement covers your use before sending patient information.“can review and agree to a BAA with customers” source, read
Where the data is processedSpellbook says its cloud providers store and process customer data in Canada and the US.“data centers in Canada and US” source, read Spellbook says its cloud providers store and process customer data in Canada and the US.“data centers in Canada and US” source, read

An empty cell is not a reassurance and not a criticism. "Not found in the pages we read." means the Spellbook pages listed under Sources, read on the dates shown, do not answer it — so there is nothing for us to repeat, and something for you to ask Spellbook before client information goes near it.

What this means for

The duty does not change because the tool is new. What changes is where the client information ends up.

  • Law firms. A client confidence pasted into a personal account has left the firm’s control. Our law firm page sets out the duties we build evidence for; the decision here is whether a personal account may touch a client matter at all.
  • Dental and medical practices. Spellbook publishes a BAA position for this product on Law Firms, which is where that conversation starts. See dental practices.
  • CPA and accounting firms. Your written information security plan has to describe the tools people actually use, not the ones you approved. See accounting firms.
  • Financial advisers. Client account data in a personal assistant is the exposure; see financial advisers.
  • Software teams. A coding assistant reads the repository and can run commands, so the question is what it can reach, not what it was asked. See what AI agents on work laptops can reach.

How to tell which version your staff use

The plan is the whole answer, and you cannot tell from the outside. Three ways to find out, in order of how much they prove.

  1. 1. Ask

    Quick, free, and incomplete. People forget the tool they installed once and the account they signed in with.

  2. 2. Look at the billing and the admin console

    This finds what the business pays for. It does not find a personal account, which is the one that matters here.

  3. 3. Look on the computers

    A tool somebody installed themselves never appears in an IT list. Obsidian Ridge’s free 30-day AI security assessment takes a quiet inventory for 30 days and shows what each tool could reach, then a CISSP goes through it with you. See the assessment, or read a sample set of findings.

Settings to check today

From Spellbook’s own documentation. Each one is a change somebody can make this afternoon.

  • Review the Microsoft account used for the Word add-in's single sign-on.“uses Microsoft accounts for SSO” source, read

Worth knowing

  • Spellbook publishes Law Firms and In-House Teams packages for its Word add-in and Associate suite.“Spellbook Suite (Word Add-In & Associate)” source, read
  • The terms separately prohibit training by third-party LLM providers. That statement does not establish Spellbook's own training default.“No Third Party LLM Model Training.” source, read

Questions we get asked

Is Spellbook safe for client data?

Whether Spellbook is safe for client data turns on which plan your staff are on, which account they signed in with, and what you have told them they may put in it — not on the product itself.

On Law Firms and on In-House Teams, we did not find a statement about model training in the pages we read.

Every fact on this page is Spellbook's own, quoted from its own pages and dated, and where we did not find a statement this page says so rather than filling the gap.

Does Spellbook train its models on what we put into Spellbook?

On Law Firms and on In-House Teams, we did not find a statement about model training in the pages we read. On Law Firms and In-House Teams: Not found in the pages we read.

How long does Spellbook keep what we put into Spellbook?

On Law Firms and In-House Teams: Quality-assurance inputs and outputs may be retained for up to 90 days, then deleted. This is the QA-data limit, not a blanket document-retention period.

Spellbook's own words: "retained for no longer than 90 days from the date of collection, then permanently deleted" (read 2026-11-05).

Can an administrator read what we put into Spellbook?

On Law Firms and In-House Teams: Not found in the pages we read.

Will Spellbook sign a Business Associate Agreement for Spellbook?

On Law Firms: Spellbook says it can review and agree to a BAA with customers; confirm the agreement covers your use before sending patient information. Spellbook's own words: "can review and agree to a BAA with customers" (read 2026-11-05).

A signed BAA is between your practice and Spellbook; we do not sign it for you, and we do not read a compliance badge as one.

How do we find out which version of Spellbook our staff are using?

Spellbook sells this to practices rather than to individuals, so there is no personal account to find.

What decides the answers above is which plan your practice is on and what your own administrator has switched on, both of which are in your subscription and your admin console rather than on anybody's laptop.

Obsidian Ridge's free 30-day AI security assessment covers the tools nobody approved, which is the other half of the picture.

Sources

Spellbook’s own pages, with the date each was read. Nothing on this page comes from anywhere else.

All 47 tools, side by side, or run the AI tool risk checker over the ones you know about.

Other tools people ask about

Same question, different answers. The ones in the same category are the ones staff swap between.