As of 2026-09-04, 10 official documents govern AI use by lawyers, judges or litigants in the United Kingdom. 3 require disclosure or certification of AI use, 9 impose an explicit verification duty, and 0 prohibit some use outright. The incident tracker records 17 incidents in this jurisdiction.
SRA
The SRA's first warning notice devoted to AI, issued 17 August 2026 after 42 reports of potential misuse in a year. It tells solicitors in England and Wales they remain accountable for AI output, must verify that cited authorities are genuine and relevant, must protect client data entered into AI tools, and must have governance and supervision controls.
Guidance · Verification duty · Confidentiality · Supervision · Competence
2026-08-17In force
CJC
Interim report from the Civil Justice Council for England and Wales, published 30 June 2026, summarising responses to its AI and court documents consultation. It records a strong consensus that no AI-specific formal requirements are needed for professional drafting, considers proportionate transparency for expert evidence, and flags concerns about AI-shaped witness statements and litigants in person.
Report · Permissive · Disclosure
2026-06-30In force
Law Society
The Law Society of England and Wales' practical guide to generative AI for solicitors and firms, updated in June 2026. It is permissive with cautions: solicitors may use generative AI but must keep a human in the loop, verify output, protect client confidentiality, understand the tool's limits and ensure staff are competent and supervised.
Guidance · Permissive · Verification duty · Confidentiality · Competence · Supervision
2026-06-01In force
SRA
The SRA's Effective Supervision guidance for solicitors and firms in England and Wales gained dedicated AI sections in June 2026. Supervisors are treated as accountable for AI-assisted work by staff and must have systems for supervising matters where AI is used. The 17 August 2026 warning notice on AI misuse cross-refers to it.
Guidance · Supervision · Competence · Verification duty
2026-06-01In force
BSB
Regulatory guidance from the Bar Standards Board, valid from 18 May 2026, on how the Core Duties apply when barristers in England and Wales use AI. It requires verification of output before use, transparency with clients under rC19 where AI materially affects the service, and treats free public tools as generally unsuitable for legal work.
Guidance · Verification duty · Disclosure · Confidentiality · Competence
2026-05-18In force
CJC
The Civil Justice Council consulted from 17 February to 14 April 2026 on whether the Civil Procedure Rules for England and Wales should impose AI-specific requirements on court documents, including transparency or disclosure duties for pleadings, skeleton arguments, witness statements and expert reports. Interim findings were published on 30 June 2026; the final report is pending.
Consultation · Disclosure · Verification duty
2026-02-17Consultation
SRA
The SRA's compliance tips set out how the Standards and Regulations apply when solicitors use AI and other technology: competence, supervision, confidentiality and verification of output remain the firm's responsibility. Revised 9 February 2026 to address generative AI directly, the page is guidance, not a new rule.
Guidance · Competence · Supervision · Confidentiality · Verification duty
2026-02-09In force
Bar Council
The Bar Council's ethics guidance for barristers in England and Wales on generative AI, first issued January 2024 and updated November 2025. Barristers may use these tools but must verify all output, avoid disclosing confidential or privileged material to public systems, and remain responsible for their work under the Core Duties.
Guidance · Permissive · Verification duty · Confidentiality · Competence
2025-11-25In force
UK Judiciary
Guidance from the senior judiciary of England and Wales for judges, magistrates and tribunal members on using AI. Judges remain personally responsible for their work, must not enter confidential information into public tools, and may ask parties and lawyers about their use of AI. The current version is dated 31 October 2025.
Guidance · Confidentiality · Verification duty · Competence
2025-10-31In force
SRA
The SRA's November 2023 Risk Outlook report analyses how solicitors in England and Wales are adopting AI and the risks that follow. It is a risk analysis rather than a rule, taking a permissive stance while warning about hallucinated authorities, confidentiality of client data in public tools, and the need for firm-level controls.
Report · Permissive · Verification duty · Confidentiality
2023-11-01In force
Descriptive reference only: this page records what each rule requires. Missing a document? Tell us.
United Kingdom