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Generative AI & Legal Research

A guide for students and faculty on using generative AI for legal research and writing

AI in court

Not Again! Two More Cases, Just this Week, of Hallucinated Citations in Court Filings Leading to Sanctions, LawSites, 2/22/24

For all the discussion of how generative AI will impact the legal profession, maybe one answer is that it will weed out the lazy and incompetent lawyers.

AI-Generated Fake Case Law Leads To Sanctions In Wage Suit, Law360, 2/13/24

The owner of a Missouri-based technology business that was ordered to pay an ex-employee roughly $311,000 in unpaid wages, damages and legal costs was sanctioned Tuesday by an appellate court for briefing "deficiencies," including submitting fake cases generated by artificial intelligence.

Can the courts save us from dangerous AI?, Vox, 2/7/24

A law professor proposes an old-fashioned remedy for very new problems: legal liability.

AI Rapid Response Team Will Help State Courts Adapt, Law360, 12/14/23

State judiciary leaders have established a new team to examine how artificial intelligence may affect the courts and suggest best practices for dealing with those effects, according to an announcement this week.

In First for a U.S. Appeals Court, 5th U.S. Circuit Court Considers Rule Requiring Lawyers to Certify they Did Not Rely on AI to Create Filings, LawSites, 11/29/23

In what it appears would be a first for a federal circuit court, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is considering adoption of a rule change that would require lawyers and unrepresented litigants to provide a certification regarding their use of artificial intelligence in preparing court filings.

Beware the Legal Bot: Spooky Stories of AI in the Courtroom, AI Law Librarian, 10/31/23

This article explores the potential challenges and issues surrounding AI, particularly legal AI, in the courtroom. It discusses spooky and cautionary tales related to AI-generated legal work and highlights the importance of transparency, accountability, and human oversight when using AI in the legal field. Updates will be made as new cases or suggestions arise, providing a centralized resource for both legal educators and practicing attorneys

Crystal Ballalytics: Judicial Behavioral Forecasting Modeling, AI Law Librarians, 10/9/23

This article discusses the concept of "judicial behavioral forecasting modeling," which involves using AI and data analytics to predict how judges might rule on specific legal cases based on their past decisions and behavior. It explores the potential benefits and challenges of implementing such predictive models in the legal field, emphasizing the importance of ethical considerations and transparency when using AI for judicial decision forecasting.

Courts Need To Pay Attention To Generative AI, Not Ignore It, Law360, 8/17/23

According to court experts, Generative artificial intelligence poses significant challenges to the legal system. These challenges include a rise in lawsuits from self-represented litigants, the risk of manipulated or fabricated evidence, the need to educate lawyers about the technology, and difficulties in recruiting IT talent for lower-paying court positions. Courts are urged to avoid overly broad bans on AI use and instead address the nuances of generative AI as experts stress the importance of adapting to and embracing generative AI to harness its potential effectively in the legal profession.

'Robot Lawyer' Wants Ill. Law Firm's Class Action Tossed, Law360, 5/17/23

DoNotPay Inc., known as the "world's first robot lawyer," has requested a federal judge to dismiss a proposed class action lawsuit brought by MillerKing LLC, an Illinois law firm. DoNotPay argues that the small firm cannot demonstrate any genuine injury resulting from its services, and therefore lacks standing to bring the suit. While MillerKing alleged that DoNotPay's offerings falsely imply a connection with licensed attorneys and harm consumers and law firms, DoNotPay contends that the complaint lacks specific allegations of harm, making it insufficient for a class action.

Robot Lawyers Are About to Flood the Courts, Wired, 4/13/23

The rapid rise of chatbots and AI-powered legal tools is causing concerns among legal professionals, especially in state and local courts. These tools have the potential to flood the courts with low-quality, high-volume filings, particularly in debt collection cases where default judgments are common. While AI may offer some benefits, such as assisting individuals who can't afford lawyers, it also poses the risk of overburdening the legal system.

Would Humans Trust an A.I. Judge? More Easily Than You ThinkSlate.com, 2/28/23

A debate surrounding the ethics of using AI in the judiciary has emerged, with questions about whether it is fair for AI to resolve disputes. A study conducted on 6,000 U.S. adults reveals surprising results: while people generally perceive human judges as fairer than AI judges, the human-AI fairness gap can be partly offset by increasing AI judges' interpretability and ability to provide a hearing.

Bar Associations Threaten Pro-Se Litigant, Aided by AI, with UPL SuitsReason, 1/26/23

The article raises concerns about the unauthorized practice of law (UPL) when AI-generated advice resembles legal counsel. It highlights a past encounter with a legal analytics firm and the importance of involving lawyers in the process of reviewing AI-generated recommendations. The article also mentions a recent case where a "robot lawyer" assisting with traffic ticket challenges faced UPL threats and had to be dropped.

Judges & AI

Judges To Generative AI: You're Out Of Order!, Above the Law, 3/28/24

There's disorder in the courts, with no clarity in sight. 

Judges And Law Scholars Divided Over AI Standing Orders, Law360, 3/22/24

Several federal judges have issued standing orders blocking or putting guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence over accuracy issues with the technology, but a few legal scholars have raised concerns that the orders might discourage attorneys and self-represented litigants from using AI.

Not Again! Two More Cases, Just this Week, of Hallucinated Citations in Court Filings Leading to Sanctions, LawSites, 2/22/24

For all the discussion of how generative AI will impact the legal profession, maybe one answer is that it will weed out the lazy and incompetent lawyers.

AI-Generated Fake Case Law Leads To Sanctions In Wage Suit, Law360, 2/13/24

The owner of a Missouri-based technology business that was ordered to pay an ex-employee roughly $311,000 in unpaid wages, damages and legal costs was sanctioned Tuesday by an appellate court for briefing "deficiencies," including submitting fake cases generated by artificial intelligence.

Can the courts save us from dangerous AI?, Vox, 2/7/24

A law professor proposes an old-fashioned remedy for very new problems: legal liability.

AI Rapid Response Team Will Help State Courts Adapt, Law360, 12/14/23

State judiciary leaders have established a new team to examine how artificial intelligence may affect the courts and suggest best practices for dealing with those effects, according to an announcement this week.

In First for a U.S. Appeals Court, 5th U.S. Circuit Court Considers Rule Requiring Lawyers to Certify they Did Not Rely on AI to Create Filings, LawSites, 11/29/23

In what it appears would be a first for a federal circuit court, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is considering adoption of a rule change that would require lawyers and unrepresented litigants to provide a certification regarding their use of artificial intelligence in preparing court filings.

Beware the Legal Bot: Spooky Stories of AI in the Courtroom, AI Law Librarian, 10/31/23

This article explores the potential challenges and issues surrounding AI, particularly legal AI, in the courtroom. It discusses spooky and cautionary tales related to AI-generated legal work and highlights the importance of transparency, accountability, and human oversight when using AI in the legal field. Updates will be made as new cases or suggestions arise, providing a centralized resource for both legal educators and practicing attorneys

Crystal Ballalytics: Judicial Behavioral Forecasting Modeling, AI Law Librarians, 10/9/23

This article discusses the concept of "judicial behavioral forecasting modeling," which involves using AI and data analytics to predict how judges might rule on specific legal cases based on their past decisions and behavior. It explores the potential benefits and challenges of implementing such predictive models in the legal field, emphasizing the importance of ethical considerations and transparency when using AI for judicial decision forecasting.

Courts Need To Pay Attention To Generative AI, Not Ignore It, Law360, 8/17/23

According to court experts, Generative artificial intelligence poses significant challenges to the legal system. These challenges include a rise in lawsuits from self-represented litigants, the risk of manipulated or fabricated evidence, the need to educate lawyers about the technology, and difficulties in recruiting IT talent for lower-paying court positions. Courts are urged to avoid overly broad bans on AI use and instead address the nuances of generative AI as experts stress the importance of adapting to and embracing generative AI to harness its potential effectively in the legal profession.

'Robot Lawyer' Wants Ill. Law Firm's Class Action Tossed, Law360, 5/17/23

DoNotPay Inc., known as the "world's first robot lawyer," has requested a federal judge to dismiss a proposed class action lawsuit brought by MillerKing LLC, an Illinois law firm. DoNotPay argues that the small firm cannot demonstrate any genuine injury resulting from its services, and therefore lacks standing to bring the suit. While MillerKing alleged that DoNotPay's offerings falsely imply a connection with licensed attorneys and harm consumers and law firms, DoNotPay contends that the complaint lacks specific allegations of harm, making it insufficient for a class action.

Robot Lawyers Are About to Flood the Courts, Wired, 4/13/23

The rapid rise of chatbots and AI-powered legal tools is causing concerns among legal professionals, especially in state and local courts. These tools have the potential to flood the courts with low-quality, high-volume filings, particularly in debt collection cases where default judgments are common. While AI may offer some benefits, such as assisting individuals who can't afford lawyers, it also poses the risk of overburdening the legal system.

Would Humans Trust an A.I. Judge? More Easily Than You ThinkSlate.com, 2/28/23

A debate surrounding the ethics of using AI in the judiciary has emerged, with questions about whether it is fair for AI to resolve disputes. A study conducted on 6,000 U.S. adults reveals surprising results: while people generally perceive human judges as fairer than AI judges, the human-AI fairness gap can be partly offset by increasing AI judges' interpretability and ability to provide a hearing.

Bar Associations Threaten Pro-Se Litigant, Aided by AI, with UPL SuitsReason, 1/26/23

The article raises concerns about the unauthorized practice of law (UPL) when AI-generated advice resembles legal counsel. It highlights a past encounter with a legal analytics firm and the importance of involving lawyers in the process of reviewing AI-generated recommendations. The article also mentions a recent case where a "robot lawyer" assisting with traffic ticket challenges faced UPL threats and had to be dropped.