A British High Court judge has issued a stark warning to legal professionals after lawyers cited fake cases generated by artificial intelligence in court proceedings, saying such errors could lead to prosecution. Justice Victoria Sharp said misuse of AI tools poses “serious implications for the administration of justice and public confidence in the justice system.”
The warning came in a ruling co-authored with Justice Jeremy Johnson, in which they rebuked lawyers in two recent cases for submitting false legal arguments based on unverified AI output. In a £90 million (US$120 million) case involving Qatar National Bank, a lawyer submitted 18 nonexistent cases sourced from AI tools. The client, Hamad Al-Haroun, apologized, claiming responsibility — but Sharp criticized the lawyer for relying on the client for legal research.
In a separate case, barrister Sarah Forey cited five fake cases in a housing dispute against the London Borough of Haringey. Forey denied using AI, but the court found her explanation lacking and referred both lawyers to their respective regulators.
Sharp emphasized that submitting fabricated legal material could amount to contempt of court or, in extreme cases, perverting the course of justice — a crime punishable by life imprisonment. While AI can be a valuable legal research aid, the court stressed that its use must be supervised and compliant with existing professional standards to preserve public trust.
Swifteradio.com
