Abhishek Kumar struck off for using AI-generated false citations

Abhishek Kumar, a 41-year-old registered foreign lawyer, has been struck off the register after using AI-generated false citations and misleading quotations to defend himself before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT).

The disciplinary proceedings followed Kumar’s 2024 criminal conviction for knowingly employing an individual who was disqualified from working in the UK due to their immigration status. During the investigation by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), Kumar submitted a written response containing erroneous legal citations produced by generative AI. When asked to explain these discrepancies, he used AI to draft an email that contained further mistakes and false material.

The SDT noted that this was the first time the tribunal had addressed the issue of AI hallucinations in legal submissions. The tribunal stated that Kumar would have been struck off based on either the original criminal conviction or the subsequent use of AI to mislead the regulator and the tribunal. The ruling emphasized that such conduct undermines the administration of justice and public confidence in the legal profession.