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ARTICLE · 27 JUNE 2025

Garfield.law & The 'Robot Solicitor' Sensation

Teacher Stern LLP
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In May 2025, legal headlines across the UK proclaimed the arrival of the country's "first robot solicitor" – a legal AI tool named Garfield.law.

United KingdomTechnology
Gillian Crotty
Gillian Crotty
Sonam Bassi
Sonam Bassi

In May 2025, legal headlines across the UK proclaimed the arrival of the country's “first robot solicitor” – a legal AI tool named Garfield.law. Described in the media as a revolutionary step toward automated justice, the reality was more modest: Garfield is a procedural software system with AI capability designed to help individuals pursue small debt claims. It doesn't think, argue, or understand the law – it simply fills out forms based on user input. At its most advanced, it can generate skeleton arguments if a claim escalates, though these require human review.

The hype around Garfield points to a deeper legal question: what happens when AI systems do become powerful enough to make or influence substantive legal decisions?

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