The Solicitors Regulation Authority has authorised the first law firm providing a legal service through large language model artificial intelligence. Garfield.Law Ltd, based in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, specialises in helping businesses recover debts of up to £10,000 - with costs starting at £2 for sending a 'polite chaser' letter.
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.'
Before authorising Garfield.Law, the SRA engaged with the owners to check that its rules can be met by an AI service. This included reassurance that processes are in place to quality-check work, keep client information confidential and safeguard against conflicts of interests. It said it has also checked the firm is managing the risk of ‘AI hallucinations.’ The system will not be able to propose relevant case law, which is a high-risk area for large language model machine learning.
Garfield is not autonomous and will take a step only where the client has approved it, the regulator said. Named regulated solicitors will still ultimately be accountable for standards.
‘Any new law firm comes with potential risks, but the risks around an AI-driven law firm are novel,' Philip said. 'So we have worked closely with this firm to make sure it can meet our rules, and all the appropriate protections are in place. As this is likely to be the first of many AI-driven law firms, we will be monitoring progress of this new model closely, so we can both manage the risks and realise the benefits to consumers.’
Garfield's co-founders, former City lawyer Philip Young and technology specialist Daniel Long presented the company at the Civil Justice Council's national forum last November.
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