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26 September 2025
Issue: 8132 / Categories: Legal News , Artificial intelligence , Technology , Profession , Legal services
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NLJ this week: AI boom collides with courtroom reality

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Artificial intelligence may be revolutionising the law, but its misuse could wreck cases and careers, warns Clare Arthurs of Penningtons Manches Cooper in this week's NLJ

Top judges have praised AI’s potential, with Sir Geoffrey Vos hailing its role in digital justice and Lord Justice Birss admitting to using ChatGPT in a ruling. But recent scandals, including the Ayinde case and a pleading riddled with fake citations, show the perils of uncritical reliance.

Courts are now making clear: firm leaders will be held responsible if lawyers let hallucinated case law slip through. New judicial guidance encourages AI for admin and drafting, but dismisses it as unsafe for research.

Arthurs’ message is blunt—AI is here to stay, but lawyers must engage their ‘little grey cells’ before letting machines steer legal argument.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

DAC Beachcroft—Clare Dewar

DAC Beachcroft—Clare Dewar

DAC Beachcroft strengthens Scottish real estate capabilitywith partner appointment

Womble Bond Dickinson—Brendan Ryan

Womble Bond Dickinson—Brendan Ryan

Womble Bond Dickinson appoints Brendan Ryan as partner in Public Law Projects team

Parklane Plowden Chambers—five appointments

Parklane Plowden Chambers—five appointments

Parklane Plowden Chambers welcomes five new barristers

NEWS
The 25th Pro Bono Week begins today until 6 November, with events hosted by law firms, chambers, law schools and charities across the UK
Pro bono is celebrating a silver anniversary, with initiatives putting businesses and students at the heart of access to justice
Choosing the wrong expert can cost a clinical negligence claimant more than their case
Judges risk weakening their own independence by staying silent over government reforms, a leading public lawyer argues
A discount on damages does not automatically mean an equivalent haircut for legal costs in military deafness claims
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