Lawyer Delegated His Legal Work to an AI Chatbot
A defense lawyer typed his research questions into ChatSOC, the AI chatbot built into the Sullivan on Comp treatise, copied the answers into a petition he signed under oath, and filed it. Four citations were fake, and the board fined him $1,000. Then it wrote the sentence every lawyer should frame and hang in their office.
From the full episode: ChatSOC Invented a Case. The Lawyer Paid for It. (EP8)
Full transcript
A lawyer let a chatbot do his legal research. The court's response was one brutal sentence. He filed AI-written case law under oath. Four citations were fake. The Board fined him a thousand dollars. They wrote the line that should get framed and hung in every law office in the state. Quote, in essence, counsel has delegated legal work in this matter to a nonattorney AI computer program."
Sources
- Lopez Mendoza v. SWI Finishing, Inc., ADJ17889413, WCAB Opinion and Decision After Reconsideration, June 26, 2026: primary decision (PDF)
- Full episode: ChatSOC Invented a Case. The Lawyer Paid for It. (EP8)