What happened

The Civil Justice Council’s final report recommends a risk-based approach to AI use in civil court documents in England and Wales. It proposes targeted declarations for factual witness statements and expert evidence, rather than a general declaration for all legal drafting.

Why it matters

The proposals distinguish uses that may affect evidence from other drafting tasks while keeping people responsible.

The report recommends a Practice Direction clarifying responsibility, accuracy and verification. Legal representatives would remain accountable under their existing professional obligations.

It also calls for urgent work on guidance for people representing themselves. These are recommendations to rule-makers and regulators, not a statement that every proposed safeguard is already in force.

What this does not tell us

A summary of the report’s executive recommendations and contemporaneous reporting; this is not legal advice or confirmation of implementation.

FOR PEOPLE

Benefits reported

The report proposes safeguards intended to protect the accuracy and integrity of civil proceedings.

FOR AI AND ITS OPERATORS

No direction stated

There is not enough evidence to describe this side.

These are two separate readings of what the sources describe. Reported claims and risks do not by themselves establish a real-world effect.

Original sources · 1
  1. CJC reports on 'safe' use of artificial intelligence to prepare court documents ↗The Law Society Gazette · 2026-10-29

Reporting discovered in United Kingdom. Discovery market does not mean the event happened there.