AI law firm approved, AI lawyer fined
Recently a AI law firm was approved by the SRA. A company using the term “AI lawyer” fined by the FTC.
Can AI help reduce legal access costs?
That seems to be the claim by AI law firm Garfield. They recently received approval; SRA approves ‘£2 letter’ AI law firm Garfield
In a statement over the weekend, Paul Philip, SRA chief executive, said ‘The first regulatory approval of an AI-based law firm is a landmark moment for legal services in this country. With so many people and small businesses struggling to access legal services. We cannot afford to pull up the drawbridge on innovations that could have big public benefits. Responsible use of AI by law firms could improve legal services, while making them easier to access and more affordable.’
As per the Garfield website, they can recover debts of up to £10,000 with costs starting at £2.
AI Law firm approved, AI lawyer fined
Recently (February 2025), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Finalizes Order with DoNotPay That Prohibits Deceptive ‘AI Lawyer’ Claims, Imposes Monetary Relief, and Requires Notice to Past Subscribers.
DoNotPay (dot) com started around 2015/2016 in NYC and positioned itself as “the world’s first robot lawyer”. Starting as an app for contesting parking tickets.
In 2015, it is reported NYC brought in $565 million dollars from parking violations. In many cases, attorney fees can sometimes be as high as the fines. Therefore, may fines went uncontested.
Since then DoNotPay is now positioned as “DoNotPay uses artificial intelligence to help you fight big corporations, protect your privacy, find hidden money, and beat bureaucracy.”
One major difference
Per the article in Law Society Gazette “Named regulated solicitors will still ultimately be accountable for standards”. Though I am not entirely sure what that means and how the regulated solicitors will be accountable.
The Garfield website, in the FAQ states “Garfield is not a solicitor or a barrister. In fact, Garfield is not even human! It hasn’t sat any law degrees. It is a legal assistant that is a machine learning application”.
In contrast, DoNotPay [in 2024] “agreed to settle a lawsuit alleging that the website engaged in the unauthorized practice of law and provided substandard legal services”.
Other
If you’ve just completed your SQE 2 sitting, congrats! You’ve put in the hard work. Wishing you all the best for results day.
AI is making an impact in the legal industry. Suggest reading Should You Use AI To Study For The SQE?
For the mums in the US – Happy Mother’s Day!
