# AI use in legal filings rises sharply as courts grapple with fabricated citations and surging pro se caseloads

> Lawyers using AI tools to draft court filings have submitted fabricated case citations, invented precedents, and false quotes to courts. Sullivan & Cromwell apologized after filing fictitious case names in a bankruptcy proceeding.

- Type: AI news
- Page: https://completeaitraining.com/news/ai-use-in-legal-filings-rises-sharply-as-courts-grapple/
- Published: 2026-05-12
- Updated: 2026-05-12
- Author: Jeroen Erne
- Jobs: Legal
- Reading time: 2 min

### Legal Firms Report Rising AI Errors in Court Filings

**Lawyers are increasingly using [ChatGPT](https://completeaitraining.com/tag/chatgpt/) and similar tools to draft legal documents, leading to a pattern of fabricated citations, invented case law, and false quotes submitted to courts.** Sullivan & Cromwell, one of the nation's top law firms, apologized last month after filing fictitious case names and fabricated quotes in a bankruptcy proceeding. The firm also cited incorrect statutes in the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.

The problem extends across jurisdictions. A 2025 High Court case in the U.K. involved a barrister who submitted 18 fictitious case-law citations out of 45 total. Another 2025 disciplinary case saw a barrister use [AI for Legal](https://completeaitraining.com/tag/legal/) work while attempting to mask fabricated citations. The 2023 Mata v. Avianca case became one of the first widely publicized examples of an attorney using ChatGPT to draft a filing that relied entirely on nonexistent judicial precedents.

#### Self-Represented Litigants Driving Caseload Increase

Research from MIT and USC reveals that pro se filings-cases handled by self-represented parties-have jumped significantly. The share of self-represented civil cases rose from 11% to 18% after generative AI became available, according to the study.

Researchers analyzed 1,600 randomly sampled filings over an eight-year period and found that AI-generated text in complaints rose from nearly 0% before generative AI to about 18% in early 2026. The researchers said they were surprised by the magnitude of the increase.

The rise in AI-generated content concentrated in simpler case types-contract disputes, employment matters, and basic civil claims-rather than technical areas like patent or securities law. This pattern suggests [AI for Legal](https://completeaitraining.com/tag/legal/) work is helping people file cases they would not have attempted without automated document generation.

#### What Drives the Errors

Generative AI systems produce plausible-sounding text that often contains false information. When lawyers use these tools without verification-particularly those unfamiliar with legal research methods-the fabrications make it into court filings.

The problem affects both experienced attorneys and inexperienced filers. Sullivan & Cromwell's error suggests that even sophisticated firms can fail to catch AI hallucinations when reviewing documents prepared with these tools.

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