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NLJ this week: Faking it? AI and the rise of forged evidence in litigation

04 July 2025
Issue: 8123 / Categories: Legal News , Dispute resolution , Artificial intelligence , Technology
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There is a growing threat of forged evidence in civil litigation—now supercharged by generative AI—which Ian Gascoigne of LexisNexis explores in this week’s NLJ

From the Bitcoin creator case to WhatsApp screenshots and AI-generated documents, Gascoigne shows how courts are grappling with increasingly sophisticated fakery. He revisits key cases, including Arrow Nominees v Blackledge and Takhar v Gracefield, to illustrate how courts assess and respond to fabricated evidence.

Gascoigne warns that AI tools can create convincing fakes with no obvious signs, making the ‘sniff test’ and metadata analysis more vital than ever. He urges litigators to challenge suspect documents under CPR 32.19 and to demand draft versions where appropriate.

With US courts already drafting rules on machine-generated evidence, Gascoigne calls for urgent action from UK regulators to ensure authenticity and uphold the duty not to mislead the court.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Freeths—Ruth Clare

Freeths—Ruth Clare

National real estate team bolstered by partner hire in Manchester

Farrer & Co—Claire Gordon

Farrer & Co—Claire Gordon

Partner appointed head of family team

mfg Solicitors—Neil Harrison

mfg Solicitors—Neil Harrison

Firm strengthens agriculture and rural affairs team with partner return

NEWS
Conveyancing lawyers have enjoyed a rapid win after campaigning against UK Finance’s decision to charge for access to the Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has launched a recruitment drive for talented early career and more senior barristers and solicitors
Regulators differed in the clarity and consistency of their post-Mazur advice and guidance, according to an interim report by the Legal Services Board (LSB)
The dangers of uncritical artificial intelligence (AI) use in legal practice are no longer hypothetical. In this week's NLJ, Dr Charanjit Singh of Holborn Chambers examines cases where lawyers relied on ‘hallucinated’ citations — entirely fictitious authorities generated by AI tools
The Solicitors Act 1974 may still underpin legal regulation, but its age is increasingly showing. Writing in NLJ this week, Victoria Morrison-Hughes of the Association of Costs Lawyers argues that the Act is ‘out of step with modern consumer law’ and actively deters fairness
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