Bar Council welcomes the Bar Standards Board’s AI guidance

The Bar Council has welcomed the publication of the Bar Standards Board's (BSB) guidance on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other technologies.

The Bar's representative body has supported this guidance since its first iteration, and the BSB has engaged with us on it through our joint technology and innovation working group.

Last November the Bar Council updated its own guidance for barristers on the responsible use of generative AI, and underlining the risk of potential 'hallucinations' - plausible but entirely false information - created by the software.

In April the Bar Council also responded to the Civil Justice Council's (CJC) consultation on using AI when preparing court documents, agreeing that that there is no need to add new court rules concerning the use of AI by legal professionals when writing documents like statements of case or skeleton arguments.

The BSB guidance "encourages barristers, chambers, and entities to adopt and use technologies where they are likely to benefit practice management, or the availability, quality or client experience of barristers' services".

But they also warn barristers and chambers should prepare themselves appropriately and take a risk-based approach before procuring, adopting, and using AI technologies, while being aware of the risks posed by generative AI tools.

Kirsty Brimelow KC, Chair of the Bar Council, said: "We welcome the publication of the BSB's AI guidance, which complements our own, and we believe will help barristers understand what the regulatory framework means for their use of AI.

"We agree that barristers' use of AI engages several of the BSB Handbook's ethical principles and Core Duties, including the duties not to mislead the court, to provide a competent standard of work and service, and to act with honesty and integrity.

"The Bar Council encourages a conscientious and responsible use of modern technologies to help provide access to justice and to assist with the administration of justice."

Notes to editors

1. Read our AI guidance published in November

2. View our response to the CJC's consultation on using AI when preparing court documents

3. Read the Bar Standards Board's new AI guidance

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