AI and the law
Posted on July 7th, 2026
It feels like every time you look at the news or use a program you are being told about AI. The reports about AI fall into two categories. It will either make your life easier and improve your life, or it is about the herald the end of everything we know and disaster is looming.
We are not here to tell you whether AI is good or bad. The reality is that it is here, it is not going away, and everyone has probably used AI to some extent in their life. Some of you may not even know that you have used it.
There is nothing wrong with using AI. However, when you are using it in connection with legal matters, you need to be very careful. AI is being used in legal matters to either:
1. Get some advice without having to ask a lawyer
2. Assist in drafting of documents
3. Assist in understanding legal documents or processes
I saw a coffee mug many years ago that said “please don’t confuse google with my medical degree”. We have all googled a physical symptom to be told it is cancer, right? Now google is also using AI, and to be blunt, google does not have a practising certificate authorising it to practice law. It doesn’t even have a law degree.
Even lawyers with a law degree and a practising certificate have discovered that AI can be dangerous when not used properly. There are several disciplinary cases in Australia and overseas where lawyers used AI to assist in court documents, only to discover the AI made up cases to support their arguments. If a lawyer can be fooled by AI and cite false cases, how can a non-lawyer know what they are arguing is correct.
Stacey O’Gorman – Solicitor.