Lawyers In Deep Trouble For Using Ai To Draft Court Papers

Picture and Words: Tania Broughton / GroundUp

A law firm has been left with legal egg on its face - and the possibility of facing a Legal Practice Council LPC investigation - for allegedly using Google and Artificial Intelligence AI to source what were non-existent legal citations in court proceedings.

Pietermaritzburg-based Surendra Singh and Associates has also been ordered to pay the costs, from its own coffers, of two court hearings in September last year during which Pietermaritzburg High Court Judge Elsja-Marie Bezuidenhout interrogated its court documents and references to case law.

From submissions and her own research the judge concluded that while the real source of the authorities quoted remain unknown it was likely that the firm had relied on AI technology which was irresponsible and downright unprofessional.

Judge Bezuidenhout referred her ruling to the LPC and urged that it obtain a recording of the entire proceedings including any comments made before I entered court as well as submissions made by the various representatives of the applicant.