re: Video of a lawyer being busted mid-hearing for using ChatGPT to write briefs

There was a case in Utah and one in Arizona ealier this year that were both as bad or worse. The Utah one was Garner v Kadence and Arizona was Mavy vs SSA (going from memory). The Utah case had a whole section of cases cited that didn't exist, I think the AZ case only had one but it also had fictitious quotes from that cite.

The first case of a AI hallucination that came up in a case (it was before the Utah case but I can't remember the cite)we had a meeting and our managing partner sent a memo to all staff and associates that turning in work with a phantom case would result in immediate termination.

I am so old school I actually had a built in safeguard for a problem I didn't know existed. All research/pleading/briefing that has cited cases I require hard copies of every cited case, including the beginning and end of all relevant passages highlighted. I have done this my entire career (required by my first mentor) and for me it is just much easier to reference and deal with for me.

I was around for the transition to Westlaw for research and remember the old heads shunning it. Their concerns turned out to be unfounded but AI is a significant problem at this point. I must say I still like going into our library and cracking open a real book.


ETA I forgot to add the crazy part of the Utah case was the respondents attorneys never brought the fake cases up. They got called out in the opinion as well but the judge didn't impose sanctions at least in that opinion.

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It’s a phenomenon called hallucination. At its core, these programs create sentences by choosing a word that’s the most likely to follow after some other word.

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I think there is some degree of manipulation in predictive text.

If you type "Epstein didn't" the most likely word is kill. But the three options I get are Epstein didn't know, have, or get.

He is an actual dumbass that according to him was the valedictorian of internet law school.

Good.

Should be instant disbarment.

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Maybe this is your point, or already obvious, but that bio was absolutely written by chat GPT.

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I had it write mine.

**Bio:**

**Name:** Rancho Lapuerto, Esq.
**Occupation:** Attorney (Formerly Licensed)
**Specialty:** Personal Injury & Procrastination Law
**Notable Tools:** ChatGPT, Midday Naps, Copy/Paste

Rancho built a reputation as the most laid-back lawyer in his mid-sized city—famously billing hours from his couch while watching courtroom dramas for "research." Despite graduating from a reputable law school, Rancho quickly discovered he preferred delegation to diligence and shortcuts to strategy.

When AI tools hit the legal world, Rancho saw opportunity. Why burn the midnight oil writing briefs when ChatGPT could do it faster, better, and without complaint? For a time, it worked. Rancho coasted through depositions and hearings with AI-generated arguments, often barely reading them before submitting. His clients were none the wiser—until one AI-crafted brief cited a case that didn’t exist.

The unraveling was swift. A judge, unimpressed by the imaginary precedent, launched an inquiry. Rancho’s defense? "The robot did it." The excuse earned him notoriety, a temporary suspension, and a lifetime supply of CLE credits on legal ethics.

Now semi-retired and self-styled as an “AI Legal Consultant,” Rancho hosts a podcast called *Brief Relief*, where he shares cautionary tales of over-automation—often from personal experience.

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choosing a word that’s the most likely to follow after some other word.

If it doesn’t know the answer to a question, it sometimes gives answers that seem plausible, but are just random BS.

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Seems familiar.

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didnt care for it and moved to NO with his mom.

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Is this TulaneLSU?

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MrLSU

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Pro tip. Really. Thanks.

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I am so old school I actually had a built in safeguard for a problem I didn't know existed. All research/pleading/briefing that has cited cases I require hard copies of every cited case, including the beginning and end of all relevant passages highlighted.

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You mean PDFs right?