TLDR: High Court judges in England have issued stern warnings and referred legal professionals to their regulators after instances emerged of lawyers citing non-existent case law generated by artificial intelligence tools in court proceedings. The incidents highlight growing concerns over the unchecked use of AI in legal research and its potential to undermine judicial integrity.
LONDON, England – The integrity of legal proceedings in England has been called into question following revelations that lawyers have presented fabricated case law, generated by artificial intelligence, in High Court. High Court Justice Victoria Sharp, alongside fellow judge Jeremy Johnson, issued a significant ruling on June 7, 2025, chastising legal professionals and emphasizing the ‘serious implications for the administration of justice and public confidence in the justice system’ posed by the misuse of AI.
The ruling detailed two distinct cases where AI-generated inaccuracies led to false information being presented to the court. In a high-stakes £90 million (US$120 million) lawsuit concerning an alleged breach of a financing agreement involving the Qatar National Bank, a lawyer cited a staggering 18 cases that simply did not exist. The client in this case, Hamad Al-Haroun, apologized for inadvertently misleading the court with information produced by publicly available AI tools, taking responsibility over his solicitor, Abid Hussain. However, Justice Sharp found it ‘extraordinary that the lawyer was relying on the client for the accuracy of their legal research, rather than the other way around.’
A second incident involved a tenant’s housing claim against the London Borough of Haringey, where barrister Sarah Forey cited five non-existent cases. Despite denying the use of AI, Justice Sharp noted that Forey had ‘not provided to the court a coherent explanation for what happened.’
These incidents have prompted the judges to refer the lawyers involved in both cases to their respective professional regulators, underscoring the judiciary’s growing concern over the unchecked integration of AI into legal practice. While no more severe action was taken immediately, the referral signals a clear message about accountability.
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The English judiciary’s experience mirrors a broader global challenge, as legal systems worldwide grapple with the increasing presence of artificial intelligence. Similar ‘AI hallucinations’ have been reported in American courtrooms, where lawyers have faced judicial wrath and sanctions for submitting briefs containing non-existent legal citations. Experts and judges alike are increasingly stressing that while AI tools can be useful for brainstorming, they are not substitutes for meticulous traditional legal research and, crucially, verification of all citations. The recurring nature of these blunders highlights an urgent need for legal professionals to implement rigorous checks on AI-generated content to prevent further erosion of trust in the justice system.
