Considerations when using ChatGPT and generative AI software based on large language models

Bar Council of England and Wales

last revised 2025-11-25last verified 2026-09-032 versionscountry page →

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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.

Applies to: barristers
Effective: 30 Jan 2024
Current version: November 2025 update · 25 Nov 2025
Last verified: 03 Sept 2026
Official text: www.barcouncil.org.uk/resource/updated-guidance-on-generative-ai-for-t…

What the document requires

Barristers must independently verify any legal proposition or authority produced by generative AI.
Client and privileged information should not be entered into public tools without safeguards.
Barristers should understand the tool's limitations, including hallucination and bias.
Use of AI does not alter the barrister's personal responsibility under the BSB Handbook.

Version history

Version	Date	What changed	Source
November 2025 updatecurrent	2025-11-25	Updated after Ayinde v Haringey to strengthen the verification expectation and address hallucinated authorities, confidentiality of instructions and the Core Duties.	official
Original	2024-01-30	First version recorded.	official

Related court incidents on the record

Ayinde v London Borough of Haringey; Al-Haroun v Qatar National Bank2025-06-06 Regulatory referral

Read our analysis: UK legal-profession AI guidance: version histories for solicitors and barristers →

Sources

Cite this record

SafeLegalAI Legal AI Regulation Tracker, "Considerations when using ChatGPT and generative AI software based on large language models" (Bar Council of England and Wales, November 2025 update, 2025-11-25), safelegalai.com/regulation/uk/uk-bar-council-generative-ai-guidance (accessed 2026-09-04). Data: CC BY 4.0.