Recent incidents involving the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in legal practice have raised significant concerns, as expressed by Judge Victoria Sharp.
Judge Victoria Sharp's Warning
Judge Victoria Sharp called on the legal profession to exercise caution in using AI tools like ChatGPT for legal research. She noted that while seemingly coherent responses could be generated, the information might be entirely incorrect. Sharp emphasized that lawyers have a duty to verify the accuracy of data against authoritative sources.
Case of Lawyer Abid Hussain
Lawyer Abid Hussain faced repercussions for using unverified information when 45 citations in his filing for a $120 million lawsuit were found to include 18 non-existent cases. His client, Hamad Al-Haroun, apologized to the court for misleading information, but Judge Sharp noted that the lawyer should not rely on the client to verify legal data.
Case of Lawyer Sarah Forey
Lawyer Sarah Forey cited five fake cases in her claim against the London Borough of Haringey. Judge Sharp pointed out the lack of coherent explanation from Forey and warned that presenting false information could be viewed as contempt of court. This could lead to serious consequences for lawyers not meeting their professional obligations.
The situation regarding AI use in legal practice requires careful consideration from lawyers to avoid undermining public trust in the legal system.
