Responsible Legal Augmentation: Integrating Generative AI into Legal Practice

Abstract

This article examines Ayinde v London Borough of Haringey; Al-Haroun v Qatar National Bank [2025] EWHC 1383 (Admin), a landmark High Court judgment addressing the use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in legal practice. The case arose when counsels submitted fictitious AI-generated authorities, prompting the court to consider not only individual lapses but also the broader professional obligations that must govern technological adoption in legal practice. Rejecting prohibition as well as uncritical endorsement, the court articulated a model of responsible augmentation: AI may assist lawyers, but only where outputs are independently verified and presented without misleading the judiciary. The judgment is significant in reaffirming lawyers’ professional duties of honesty, integrity and competence, while extending them to encompass technological literacy. It further underscores that legal practice cannot be reduced to linguistic plausibility alone, but must remain grounded in institutional practices of authority, authenticity and accountability. The decision also carries far-reaching implications for legal education as it highlights the urgency of embedding AI literacy into curricula, not merely as technical training but as critical engagement with law’s epistemic foundations. By reasserting that authenticity and accountability are core professional values, Ayinde signals a jurisprudential transition from tentative accommodation of technological change to its active governance. In doing so, it provides a framework through which courts, regulators and educators can collaborate to integrate GenAI into legal practice while sustaining public trust in the judicial system.