Lawyer struck off for using fake AI evidence in his own disciplinary case
An immigration lawyer who was referred to a Tribunal after a criminal conviction has been struck off after using AI-generated evidence as part of his own defence.
Abhishek Kumar, 41, a registered foreign lawyer, was referred to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) after his 2024 criminal conviction at the Central Criminal Court, after he knowingly employed a vulnerable adult who was disqualified from working due to his immigration status, paying him “cash in hand”.
He was convicted in 2024 and sentenced to a 12-month community order and 150 hours of unpaid work.
Kumar, who defended himself at the Tribunal against the regulatory fallout from his criminal conviction, submitted a written answer drafted with AI that included misleading quotations and non-existent cases.
After the legal regulator, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), identified the false citations, Kumar emailed to explain and apologise. However, this email was also drafted using AI and contained further false material.
Kumar accepted that his actions breached one of the principles and that he had failed to uphold the administration of justice. He said he deeply regretted that his “technological negligence created a risk of bringing the profession into disrepute” but denied that his actions breached public trust and confidence in the profession. He said he had no intention to mislead but simply did not have the expertise to verify the AI output.
However, the Tribunal dismissed his excuses and ruled that the harm caused by his misconduct was high for both the immigration violation and the AI misuse. The SDT did make it clear that Kumar would have been struck off for either the immigration offence or the AI misconduct independently.
It was ordered that he be struck off the register, meaning he can no longer practise law.
Professional services problem with AI
This is the first time that the Tribunal has had to deal with the issue of AI hallucinations.
In May, London-headquartered law firm Pinsent Masons was criticised by a High Court judge after a lawyer sent the court AI-generated letters containing false legal information. The firm said it referred the matter to the SRA, which is currently investigating further.
The legal watchdog issued a formal warning in August about AI after receiving 42 reports of AI misuse and fake court citations, as ‘AI hallucination’ continues to plague the legal and professional services industry.