Beyond the SRA
Can lawyers use AI? Barristers, judges and the rest of the UK
Updated
Every UK legal regulator and professional body that has spoken says the same thing: you may use AI, and your existing duties apply to whatever it produces.
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Barristers
Bar Standards Board
The BSB's guidance explains how the existing duties and rules of the BSB Handbook apply when barristers use AI, written after the Ayinde judgment and recent cases of misuse.
Source: BSB: new AI guidance for barristers
Bar Council
The Bar Council's updated ethics guidance names the key risks of large language models, including hallucinations, bias and confidential data, and says any use must safeguard client confidentiality.
Source: Bar Council: updated guidance on generative AI for the Bar
Judges
Judicial guidance, October 2025
The judiciary's guidance applies to judicial office holders and their staff. It reminds them not to enter private information into public AI tools and that they are personally responsible for material produced in their name.
Source: Judiciary: AI judicial guidance (October 2025)
Scotland and Northern Ireland
Law Society of Scotland
The Society's Guide to Generative AI covers how reliable AI work is and how to protect client confidentiality and firm security when using it.
Source: Law Society of Scotland: Guide to Generative AI
Law Society of Northern Ireland
The Society has published guidance on the responsible use of artificial intelligence for solicitors practising in Northern Ireland.
Source: Law Society of Northern Ireland: AI guidance
In England and Wales
Law Society
The Law Society's guide, Generative AI: the essentials, is the professional body's own summary for solicitors.