Lawyer Sanctioned for Using AI to Generate False Citations

Lawyer Sanctioned for Using AI to Generate False Citations
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A Victorian lawyer has become the first in Australia to be sanctioned for using an AI tool to generate false legal citations for a court case, The Guardian reported. The lawyer, who has not been named, submitted a list of non-existent prior cases in a family law matter.

The deception was uncovered when Justice Amanda Humphreys and her associates were unable to verify the cases. The lawyer admitted that the list was created using AI software and that he failed to check the information’s accuracy before submitting it to the court.

As a result, the lawyer’s practicing certificate has been varied. He is no longer permitted to practice as a principal lawyer or run his own firm. Instead, he must now work as a supervised employee solicitor for the next two years. The incident serves as a stark warning to legal professionals, with the president of the Law Council of Australia, Juliana Warner, advising lawyers to use AI with “extreme care” and emphasizing that it does not lessen their professional obligations. Since this case, there have been over 20 similar incidents reported in Australia.