What it means for a UK law firm
Supervision of AI-assisted work rests on the SRA's existing rules. Under paragraph 3.5 of the SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors, RELs and RFLs, a solicitor who supervises or manages others remains accountable for the work carried out through them and must supervise it effectively.
Supervision of AI-assisted work was central to UK v Secretary of State for the Home Department (AI hallucinations; supervision; Hamid) [2026] UKUT 81 (IAC). The Upper Tribunal said that “a supervisor who fails to ensure that the work of a more junior fee-earner does not contain false cases or citations is likely to be more culpable than a lawyer who fails to ensure that his own work is free from such ‘hallucinations’”. The Tribunal also said supervisors must make sure the fee earners they supervise are aware of the dangers of using non-specialist AI for legal research and drafting.
Supervision of AI-assisted work needs a record. A firm should be able to show who prepared a document, which tools were used, who checked it and what was checked.
Example
Illustrative scenario
A junior associate drafts grounds of appeal with AI help. The supervising partner checks every authority on Find Case Law, reads each cited passage against the proposition it supports, and records the check on the file before signing.
How Chancery handles it
In Chancery, reviewers mark each section of a workflow output Reviewed or Needs attention, and every mark records who made it and when. Only a matter manager can approve, request changes or reject, and approval stays locked until every section has been reviewed; see Chancery Verify. Our article on hallucinations and supervision covers the case law.