A ‘landmark moment’ for legal services
The first law firm to provide legal services exclusively through artificial intelligence (AI) has been authorised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).
Garfield.Law, co-founded by ex-Baker McKenzie associate Philip Young and quantum physicist Daniel Long, describes itself as “the world’s first pure AI law firm”. While many firms already use AI in a supporting role, “AI-driven” Garfield will be the first of its kind to provide regulated legal services in England and Wales.
Commenting on the authorisation, the SRA suggested that “AI-driven” legal services could be “better, quicker and more affordable”. Noting risks to the public, the regulator has been ensuring there are “appropriate checks in place” to preserve consumer protections. Ultimately, named regulated solicitors are still accountable for the firm’s activity, AI-driven or not.
Paul Philip, SRA chief executive, said:
“The first regulatory approval of an AI-based law firm is a landmark moment.The risks around an AI-driven law firm are novel. 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 specialises in small claims of up to £10k, mainly assisting smaller businesses recover unpaid debts. Claiming on their website to have “the most affordable fees”, the firm’s costs start at only £2 for a “polite chaser” letter.
The SRA is satisfied by Garfield’s processes for quality-checking work, keeping client information confidential and safeguarding against conflicts of interests. The regulator was also convinced that the firm is mitigating AI-specific risks, including the issue hallucinations, in which large language models will invent cases and judgments which do not exist. This risk was highlighted in recent judicial guidance on AI. To safeguard against this, Garfield will not be able to propose relevant case law.
The positive attitude to AI-driven lawtech that the Master of the Rolls, Geoffrey Vos, has regularly expressed, may mean we are likely to see this technology taking an increasingly central role in the delivery of legal services. In 2023, Lord Justice Birss, Vos’s deputy, praised Garfield as “absolutely at the core of what we can do for access to justice.”
However, AI continues to divide opinion. One barrister recently stressed the risks of non-lawyers relying on AI tools, while a US pro se (litigant-in-person) was lambasted by a judge for employing an AI-generated avatar of counsel earlier this year.