Running a local model for privileged work
2026-10-19 · Risk
A local model keeps privileged material on your machine. Here is the honest trade-off and a pragmatic setup.
A local model runs on your own hardware, so nothing leaves your network — the strongest answer to privilege concerns. The trade-offs are real: local models are less capable than frontier cloud models, need a decent machine, and take effort to set up. A pragmatic approach is to use cloud models for public and confidential material with training disabled, and reserve a local model for the genuinely privileged work where the confidentiality guarantee matters most.
The trade-off, stated plainly
- Pro: nothing leaves your network.
- Con: less capable than the best cloud models.
- Con: needs hardware and setup time.
A pragmatic split
Most work is not privileged at the point of drafting. Use the cloud for speed, and switch to local for the small set of matters where confidentiality is the whole point.
Written for legal professionals. Not legal advice. Always verify every authority and let a named lawyer sign off.