The rise of AI in law
When ChatGPT was released in late 2022, many professionals quickly began exploring its potential. Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool for testing ideas, checking drafting, and learning concepts. At first glance, it appears powerful, but its limitations are clear. It cannot replace the judgement, strategy, and relationships that define effective family law practice.
AI can provide quick information. It can even offer convincing legal commentary. But like a graduate lawyer, it often reads only half of the material, misses important context, and mistakes surface-level answers for complete solutions. Family law is never that simple.
Training AI is like training a junior lawyer
When asked about family law legislation, AI tools can provide an answer that looks correct on the surface. Yet they often overlook the Rules, the Case Management Guidelines, or relevant case law. They may refine their answers when directed, but they lack the ability to develop true professional judgement. This makes them similar to early career lawyers who need training, except that unlike junior lawyers, AI will never progress beyond its programming.
This limitation is important because clients are beginning to use AI to review the documents drafted by their lawyers. A carefully prepared letter may be fed into ChatGPT, which then produces comments or suggested changes. Clients redraft accordingly, and the process repeats. It quickly becomes an endless loop of “AI vs AI” until a human lawyer must step in to restore strategy and accuracy. This creates unnecessary cost and delay.
Why AI cannot replace judgement
Family law outcomes are shaped by more than legislation and case law. Experience, strategy, and relationships all play a decisive role in determining results. These are the elements AI cannot replicate.
- Experience: Decades of family law practice build a deep understanding of patterns, pitfalls, and opportunities in negotiations and court proceedings. Lessons learned from past matters shape better decisions for current ones.
- Strategy: Language that looks appropriate in a draft may trigger a negative reaction in court or with the other side. Knowledge of how Magistrates have responded to certain arguments in the past, or how specific wording has led to trial, is invaluable in shaping documents.
- Relationships: Family law is not conducted in isolation. Awareness of the dynamics of opposing lawyers, court staff, and the timing of hearings can influence how best to proceed. AI cannot see these nuances.
AI can sound convincing even when it is wrong. Without knowing the true source of law, a client may believe they have the right answer until a Judge points out otherwise. That is a stressful and costly lesson to learn.
Where AI can assist
This is not to say that AI has no place in legal practice. It is a useful tool for understanding concepts quickly, for testing ideas, and for enhancing efficiency in drafting. Many professionals use it in these ways. But it should only be used to support legal expertise, not to replace it.
If the goal is simply to understand the process, AI can provide guidance. If the goal is to navigate the process safely and achieve a favourable outcome, an experienced human lawyer is essential. Otherwise, the risk is simply one AI-generated answer debating another until a human Judge resolves the matter.
The value of human expertise
At Leach Legal, the role of our team is not only to prepare documents but to guide clients with clarity and certainty. We provide tailored, strategic advice built on decades of experience. AI is a tool, but it is no substitute for a team of specialists committed to protecting your interests.
If you have questions about your matter, the best step is not to rely on artificial intelligence but to ask us directly. We are here to deliver the clarity, strategy, and outcomes that no machine can match.
