Bar Council issues guidance for lawyers using AI technology

2nd September 2025

Image: Simon Lofthouse, AI advocate

We at Corbett Le Quesne are cautiously embracing AI technology. I think most of us have our concerns and reservations but we are also clear on the benefits it provides and the reality of its presence in our fast moving world. 

As lawyers, we are probably naturally more cautious than some. And I think our clients would expect that. We need to protect them and we need to protect ourselves.

One example of AI we regularly use is technology that records our meetings (always with the permission of our clients/colleagues). Keeping an accurate record of meetings is of paramount importance to lawyers but it can either be hard to keep notes while you are talking and listening, or it can be expensive to have an additional person in the room making notes. AI technology not only records meetings and provides a transcript of who said what but it also summarises the meeting for you. It writes lists of jobs each person needs to do and even records when there has been tension in the voices in the room. 

You can use ChatGPT alongside various other tools to get easy to read summaries of cases with simple explanations of complex legal arguments. Or can you? In order to be sure, you have to read the case properly and understand and process it yourself anyway. So does it save time? Maybe it saves the time of the rest of the team if one person can attest to the accuracy of an AI version. It remains to be seen, but there are already examples in England where AI analysis has been submitted to court and later found to be inaccurate. That is why the Bar Council in England and Wales has issued guidance for AI and why the Jersey authorities are issuing guidance for local lawyers. One of the main duties of a lawyer is to ensure they do not mislead the court. Submitting arguments to court with incorrect information could ruin more than your case, it could ruin your career. 

I use Canva for marketing and this comes with templates for adverts and leaflets etc. However, Canva has a new AI function that designs images videos for you. I am yet to use any of this as I still feel like I want my work to be my work, but am I 'wasting' money by using my time to design things when inputting 5 words and a goal is all I need to do? 

Simon Lofthouse uses a website that with only simple parameters produces whole websites in minutes and these can support his presentations to potential clients. Simon is working with various people to find solutions for lawyers and law firms that really work. Using AI to our advantage is obviously the goal but careful thought has to go in to what we want, why and how we can safely achieve that. 

Confidentiality and accuracy have to take priority. We would not even consider using technology that did not ensure these essentials were met. But how authentic are we as lawyers if we are using AI? How open should we be about it? What records should be kept of who did what? How should we train our staff to use it or stop them using it? Work experience students probably know more about it than we do so how are we meant to supervise them?  Perhaps AI can answer my questions for me!

Follow Simon Lofthouse on LinkedIn as he shares insights into this new technology. 

To read the new guidance from the Bar Council click this link below. 

New guidance on generative AI for the Bar (barcouncil.org.uk)