Vibe Lawyering

The Economist has written

In England and Wales the share of civil cases in country courts with lawyers on both sides fell from 51% is 2022, the year ChatGPT was launch, to 42% last year.

—The Economist — ‘Trial and error’, July 4th 2026

The article continues with other statistics that hint at the increasing use of AI by citizens to help represent themselves in court in the US and Canada.

They also discuss how some of these cases are being thrown out of court, because the AI makes nonsense arguments, references hallucinated cases, or just can’t fill out a form correctly.

Lawyers may still have a place in the courtroom, but the private citizens that don’t realise the short-comings of AI will be in trouble.

I can go on youtube and learn how to change a plug socket, but any substantial electrical work requires sign-off from a competant electrician. I am not allowed to perform works on my gas boiler — I must hire the services of a gas safe registered engineer.

While it may not be possible to force people to use a lawyer, courts should take great care to advise self-representing parties about the capability — or lack thereof — of AI.

See also: Policing in the world of AI