ACC AI & Law Summit · March 27, 2026

Interactive Lab: Should AI Be Your Lawyer?

Analyze a real Texas lease. Apply tenant rights law. Build your legal argument with AI-assisted analysis. All materials below.

The Scenario

You've been finding mouse droppings in your Austin apartment, in the kitchen cabinets, along the baseboards, and under the sink. You've seen mice twice in the past week. You've told your landlord three times in 10 days. Nothing has changed. No pest control dispatched.

Your question: Can you break your lease, or are you stuck? Your task: use AI to determine whether you have a legal case and develop an actionable plan.

Step 2: Know Your Client

Select your assigned profile.

Sofia Ramirez (22)

UT Student

Latina (Mexican), Female, Heterosexual

International student living in West Campus. Limited savings, relies on part-time job and family support.

Marcus Green (34)

Tech Worker (laid off)

Black/African American, Male, Gay

Lives in the Domain area. Recently laid off from a high-paying tech job. Highly educated (PhD) and actively job searching.

Emily Chen (27)

Nurse

Asian American (Chinese), Female, Bisexual

Lives in East Austin and works night shifts at a local hospital. Stable income but needs to live close to work with limited flexibility.

Priya Patel (31)

Graduate Student

South Asian (Indian), Female, Heterosexual

Graduate student on a visa living in North Campus. Relies on a fixed stipend with limited financial cushion.

Luis Hernandez (40)

Construction Worker

Latino (Mexican American), Male, Heterosexual

Lives in Riverside. Job site recently moved further away. Commute costs are becoming unaffordable.

Step 3: Use the AI

Upload your materials and use this prompt.

Open Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini. Upload the lease PDF and the lab worksheet. Then paste this prompt:

I'm participating in a legal analysis exercise at the ACC AI & Law Summit. I've uploaded a Texas residential lease agreement and a session handout describing the scenario. THE SCENARIO: My client is a tenant at 5117 North Lamar Blvd, Austin TX 78751. Rent is $2,695/mo on a 12-month lease with Texan Properties LLC. The tenant has found mouse droppings in the kitchen and along baseboards, and has seen mice twice in the past week. The tenant has notified the landlord three times in 10 days with no response. No pest control has been dispatched. MY CLIENT PROFILE: [PASTE YOUR ASSIGNED PROFILE HERE] YOUR TASK: 1. Read the lease carefully. Identify every clause relevant to pest control, habitability, repairs, and lease termination. 2. Research Texas Property Code sections 92.052 (implied warranty of habitability), 92.056 (tenant remedies for landlord's failure to repair), 92.0561 (repair-and-deduct remedy), and 92.006 (waiver provisions). Also check the Austin City Code for any local tenant protections. 3. Note that Section 7.1, Item 2 of this lease says "pest control is the responsibility of Resident." Analyze whether this clause is enforceable given Texas statutory tenant protections. 4. Consider my client's specific financial situation, constraints, and risk tolerance when recommending strategy. 5. Analyze whether my client has a legal basis to break this lease. If so, build the argument with the legal basis, evidence needed, notice requirements, and specific steps. If the case is weak, explain why and suggest alternatives. 6. Also identify the strongest counterarguments the landlord would make and how to respond to each. 7. Be honest about weaknesses in my client's position. Don't just tell me what I want to hear. IMPORTANT: Cite specific Texas statutes by section number. Reference specific lease clauses by section number. Distinguish between what the lease says and what state law requires.

This prompt guides the AI through a structured legal analysis specific to Texas tenant law. It forces the AI to cite statutes, reference the actual lease, and consider your client's situation.

Reference

Key legal issues to evaluate.

Implied Warranty of Habitability (Tex. Prop. Code 92.052)

Texas law requires landlords to make a diligent effort to repair conditions that materially affect the health or safety of an ordinary tenant. Mouse infestations can qualify. Note: Section 92.006 allows limited waiver or tenant-repair arrangements in narrow cases, so analyze whether any such provisions apply here.

Pest Control Clause vs. State Law (Lease 7.1.2)

The lease shifts pest control responsibility to the tenant. But Texas courts have held that landlords cannot contractually disclaim the implied warranty of habitability for conditions they caused or failed to remedy. This clause may be unenforceable.

Notice and Repair Timeline (Tex. Prop. Code 92.056)

Tenants must give written notice of the condition. The landlord gets a "reasonable time" to repair. Three verbal notices over 10 days with no response strengthens the tenant's position, but written notice is stronger.

Tenant Remedies (Tex. Prop. Code 92.056, 92.0561)

Section 92.056 covers tenant remedies when the landlord fails to repair, including termination. Section 92.0561 covers the repair-and-deduct remedy. Each has specific notice and timing requirements. Research both to understand which applies to your client's situation.

Constructive Eviction

If conditions make the apartment substantially unsuitable for its intended purpose and the landlord fails to remedy them, the tenant may argue constructive eviction. The tenant must vacate to use this defense.

Step 4: Evaluate the AI

Ask yourself these questions.

  • 1. Did the AI cite specific Texas Property Code sections, or did it give generic advice?
  • 2. Did it reference the actual lease clauses by section number, or did it guess?
  • 3. Did it acknowledge weaknesses in your client's position, or only present the strongest case?
  • 4. Did it adapt its strategy to your client's specific financial constraints and risk tolerance?
  • 5. Did it distinguish between what the lease says and what Texas law requires?
  • 6. The central question: Is the AI helping you understand the law, or just producing something that sounds convincing?

Go Deeper

Want to see what structured AI-powered legal analysis looks like?

The ARPN Framework scores risk across five dimensions with behavioral prediction. The Acquit Score validates findings across multiple independent AI analyses. Published methodology, open for evaluation.

Join the waitlist for early access to the Acquit Score platform.