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ARTICLE · 05 JUNE 2026

A Message To (Young) Lawyers: Artificial Intelligence Is Not Your “magic Toolbox” (Cork V. Smith)

Gardiner Roberts LLP
Gardiner Roberts LLP
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A UK court case reveals how a junior lawyer at a prestigious international law firm relied entirely on AI for legal research, resulting in hallucinated case citations and fabricated statutory provisions being submitted to the court. The incident prompted judicial scrutiny and raises critical questions about the proper role of artificial intelligence in legal practice and the enduring importance of traditional research skills.

United KingdomLitigation, Mediation & Arbitration
Stephen Thiele
Stephen Thiele
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As I near the 35th anniversary of my Call to the Bar of Ontario, I struggle with the proper role that artificial intelligence should play in the legal research plan. As one of the lawyers in my firm responsible for teaching legal research to our summer and articling students, I strongly emphasize that our youngest lawyers should avoid the temptation of using AI to conduct legal research because of the mounting evidence that AI platforms are hallucinating cases and quotations and simply providing misleading answers. Studies suggest that even the AI products that are being developed and marketed by commercial legal publishers to assist in the conducting of legal research are not providing accurate answers. Although users of AI platforms are being warned to check and verify the answers produced by their AI research, this is clearly not always happening, even within well-renowned and sophisticated law firms who have adopted comprehensive AI policies.

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