England: SRA warning reminds solicitors of their professional obligations when using AI

Irish Legal News
Tuesday, August 18, 2026

• 126
• More

Dr. Ilia Kolochenko, founder of global cybersecurity company ImmuniWeb, and a lawyer practising in cybersecurity and data protection, commented: “The problem of the careless and negligent use of AI by legal professionals creates increasingly severe and long-lasting harm to their clients in England but also in many other countries. Almost every day, I personally witness excellent but technically unsavvy lawyers who feed highly confidential documents and regulated data not only to ChatGPT or Claude but to their Chinese rivals without any precautions and without informing their clients. In most jurisdictions, such conduct may lead to a civil lawsuit and disciplinary action against the lawyer.

“The unfolding AI debacle in legal practice stems from three interrelated root causes. First, aspiring solicitors, barristers and other legal professionals do not learn how to securely use AI in law school, as most law programs simply have no such courses. Second, the regulatory landscape – especially in the EU and US – has become increasingly complex and even unmanageable, creating an understandable temptation to use several AI chatbots to analyze a client’s problem. Third, banal human laziness and greed, which all human beings are prone to, subconsciously push our brain to look for the easiest way to solve a problem, oftentimes being an AI tool, solution or chatbot.

“In response to the AI disaster, we will probably soon have updated rules of professional conduct, civil and criminal procedure, as well as court rules. The new rules will likely impose, among other things, mandatory disclosure of the use of AI and impose full liability on lawyers for any blunders made by AI. Likewise, clients will need to give their prior consent when AI is used by a law firm, while the billing method must be adequately adjusted. Finally, it is not impossible that courts will require confirmation that all data protection and privacy rules have been respected by law firms, while a violation may cost a lawyer his or her license to practice.”

This warning to English solicitors comes as the Irish courts have moved towards a verification and disclosure requirement for any materials before the court generated using AI. Practice Direction HC142 on the Responsible Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Court Documents was issued by President of the High Court, David Barniville at the beginning of the month and takes effect from 1st September. This will require all persons before the court to independently verify any materials generated using AI and to disclose, when directed, whether generative AI tools were used in connection with the preparation of a court document. Read Full Article