In 2025, AI tools like ChatGPT have come of age as legal assistants and are changing the way legal work is done, both by lawyers and by clients. Used wisely, these tools can improve efficiency, reduce costs, and help clients get better value from their lawyers. But, as with many powerful tools, the benefits come with risks.

The following example  illustrates the potential for blurring the line between information and advice.

Let’s say a client is involved in a dispute and wants to brief their lawyer. They might start by preparing a short summary of the background facts of the dispute, then upload a batch of emails and other documents to an AI platform. The AI can help sort through the material, extract dates and events, and produce a draft chronology. That can be incredibly useful because it saves time, helps the lawyer focus on the real issues more quickly, and puts the client in control of telling their story.  Time saved is your money saved: the more accurately and efficiently you can put the relevant information in the hands of your lawyer, the more money you will save. 

When preparing this chronology, the client is the expert because the client is the one who knows the facts, and they can therefore spot if the AI has misunderstood or missed something, and made an error. 

The danger comes when AI is asked to take the next step: drawing legal conclusions or giving advice. If a non-lawyer asks AI to apply the facts to the law and give legal advice, the response may sound correct to them, but may legally flawed, outdated, or based on principles that don’t apply in the relevant jurisdiction.  Lawyers are much more likely to be able to tell if the AI has gone off track. 

Unlike a lawyer, AI is not professionally responsible, isn’t trained in legal reasoning, and won’t be liable if it gets it wrong. AI doesn’t always tell you its sources or whether they’re reliable.

The takeaway? AI can be a powerful tool to support legal work. It can help organise facts, generate ideas, and prompt useful questions. But applying the law to the facts and working out what those facts mean legally remains the role of a lawyer (for now). That’s where judgment, context, and experience matter most.

So, we do recommend that you use AI to help your lawyer help you. Just don’t let it become your lawyer.