What it means for a UK law firm
A statement of truth is required by Part 22 of the Civil Procedure Rules for documents including statements of case and witness statements. A legal representative may sign the statement of truth on a statement of case on the client's behalf; under Practice Direction 22 the statement then refers to the client's belief, not the legal representative's. A witness statement must be signed by the witness.
A statement of truth now has a specific AI-related use in the Upper Tribunal. Following UK v Secretary of State for the Home Department (AI hallucinations; supervision; Hamid) [2026] UKUT 81 (IAC), the Upper Tribunal's judicial review claim form requires a legal representative to confirm that each authority cited exists, can be found using the citation given, and supports the proposition it is cited for. This requirement is part of the tribunal's own form; it is not a change to the Civil Procedure Rules. The Civil Justice Council consulted in 2026 on the use of AI in preparing court documents, but at the date this entry was last reviewed no AI-specific requirement had been added to the Civil Procedure Rules.
A statement of truth makes the signatory responsible for the document, however it was drafted. Where AI helped produce a document verified by a statement of truth, the signatory should check it with the same care as any other.
Example
Illustrative scenario
A solicitor is asked to sign the statement of truth on a claim form on the client's behalf. Before signing, the solicitor confirms that the client has approved the facts and checks every authority cited in the attached grounds against the source.