Providing Legal Services in the World of AI

A. Introduction: My AI Journey So Far

1. The AI hype has picked up pace rapidly in the last year or so. As with most things, there is a “Pro-AI” camp and an “Anti-AI” camp. Personally, I do not like to join camps. I use selected AI tools for limited tasks to enhance the human value of my services to clients and in my personal life, while remaining skeptical of the true motivations behind the strong push for AI adoption nationally and globally.

2. I see many similarities to the push for “tech” adoption around the time I became a self-employed lawyer.

• 2.1 Many tools touted impressive capabilities, but did not “talk” to each other. Even basic software ran differently on Mac and Windows. Adopting 1 product often meant overhauling one’s entire operations, with little guidance on migrating existing data.
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• 2.2 Gradually, the bigger names dominated, and systems centred around 1 of 2 main ecosystems – e.g. Mac or Windows, Google or Microsoft. During the pandemic, I had to choose between ZOOM, Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex, and settled on ZOOM because the Courts adopted it.
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• 2.3 Until a similar divide emerges among AI products, the approach is to keep trying various tools until the relevant authorities / governing bodies decide which player to build their operations around.
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• 2.4 The problem with AI is the investment needed to test which system works best:
• (a) Apart from financial costs, experimenting with different tools takes time, and each has its strengths. For example, I find Claude good for Word / document processing, whereas Gemini generates much better images.
• (b) AI can be “trained” to suit a person’s / organization’s style. Like wine or whiskey in a cask, it takes time to realize its full potential.
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• 2.5 While waiting to see which players become dominant and which systems the Courts embrace (if any), I can only familiarize myself with the tools that suit my practice, hoping the skills I develop are transferrable to whichever systems eventually prevail.

B. What AI Can (and Cannot) Do

3. AI is good at explaining general concepts, summarizing documents and producing a quick first draft. However:

• 3.1 It does not know what it does not know. It answers the question you ask, not the question you should have asked.
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• 3.2 It only knows what you type in, which is usually the version of events most favourable to you.
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• 3.3 It can be confidently wrong, “hallucinating” cases and statutes that do not exist.
• * True story: A client sent me instructions prepared with AI, including a case summary which, if true, would have been great for us. The case did not say what AI claimed, and I wasted time verifying this.
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• 3.4 It may not be Singapore-specific or up-to-date. Most publicly available AI tools draw from the general web, which contains much inaccurate and incomplete information, so using the right tool for the right task is crucial. I recently adopted Clio Work for legal issues, as it has direct access to official and authoritative databases not available to the public.
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• 3.5 It bears no responsibility. You bear 100% of the consequences.
• * True story: I had to have a serious discussion with my client about the proper use of AI, raising uncomfortable questions. (1) If the client trusted AI, why pay for my services? (2) If I remained responsible for everything, should I not charge more for verifying far more material than usual (*10 pages became 59 pages)?

C. Real Life Examples of AI Usage Gone Wrong

4. There are already 2 publicly reported instances:

• 4.1 On 2 October 2025, a lawyer was reportedly ordered to personally pay S$800.00 for citing a non-existent AI-generated case. [Read More]
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• 4.2 On 6 March 2026, 2 lawyers were each ordered to personally pay S$5,000.00 in costs for citing fictitious cases. [Read More]
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• 4.3 If qualified lawyers can be caught out, what more a layperson relying solely on a chatbot.

D. Truth: You Still Need a Lawyer for Legal Issues / Proceedings

5. Asking the right questions: A good lawyer asks the questions you did not think to ask, so you do not “bark up the wrong tree”.

6. Accountability: Your lawyer is an officer of the Court, bound by professional conduct rules, and must stand behind the advice given. If your lawyer is wrong, you have recourse, and every lawyer must carry Professional Indemnity Insurance to cover losses from negligent advice. An AI tool’s terms of use typically say (in fine print) that its output should not be relied upon. All the risk is on you.

7. Confidentiality and privilege: Communications with your lawyer are generally privileged and confidential. Details of your marriage, finances or dispute typed into a public chatbot are unlikely to be protected.

8. Strategy and judgment: Legal proceedings are about people, not just the law. In “Lose the Battle, Win the War”, pressing on after a losing battle sent the right message to the right person, and my client eventually won the war. On paper, the “logical” answer was to withdraw.

9. Human touch: Clients in divorce, custody or family violence matters need someone to walk with them and give a realistic (*and sometimes unwelcome but necessary) assessment, but a chatbot cannot read the room at mediation or trial.

E. Conclusion: AI or No AI?

10. AI seems here to stay. The real question is “What should you (the client) use AI for in seeking a lawyer’s advice?”. Some suggestions:

• 10.1 DO use AI to organize your documents (e.g. a chronology of events). The facts must still come from you, and you must VERIFY them before sending them to your lawyer.
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• 10.2 DO tell your lawyer what you used AI for, and the prompts used, so your lawyer knows whether the right questions were asked.
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• 10.3 DO NOT file or send anything to the other side or to Court based solely on AI output.
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• 10.4 Upload confidential documents (or documents with personal information) only AT YOUR OWN RISK.
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• 10.5 DO NOT EVER use AI to create or alter evidence. It will seriously damage your credibility and your case.

11. In short, AI provides general, publicly available information and helps organize it. A lawyer gives you advice, strategy, confidentiality, accountability and, most importantly, the human touch. At JinHuang Legal LLC, our mission is “To Guide & to Empower” – we embrace technology, but never at the expense of professional judgment and care.

12. Have questions on this topic? Contact me directly at +65 94763230 (call / What’s App / text) or e-mail me at lawyer@jinhuang.sg.

[Note: This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice.]