Incident Tracker

Dayal [2024] FedCFamC2F 1166

other

In Australia's Federal Circuit and Family Court, a Victorian solicitor tendered four non-existent authorities generated by the AI tool in his LEAP practice software. Judge Humphreys referred him to the Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner, which in August 2025 barred him from practising as a principal and imposed two years of supervised practice.

Date of decision/order

2024-08-27

Court

Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 2)

Jurisdiction

AUSTRALIA

AI tool

LEAP legal-practice-management AI research tool

Conduct

At a family-law property enforcement hearing, a Victorian solicitor tendered a list of four authorities that did not exist, generated by the AI tool in his practice-management software and never verified. He apologised, paid the other side's thrown-away costs, and Judge Humphreys referred his conduct to the regulator. (Underlying hearing: Handa & Mallick [2024] FedCFamC2F 957.)

Consequence

See outcome

Regulatory outcome

Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner (VLSB+C): On 19 August 2025 the VLSB+C varied the solicitor's practising certificate: he may no longer practise as a principal, cannot handle trust money or operate his own practice, may practise only as an employee solicitor, and must undertake two years of supervised practice with quarterly reporting. (2025-08-19)

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