UKResearch
Blind Justice UK finds AI chatbots recommend SRA-fined or closed law firms
Access-to-justice charity Blind Justice UK reported that ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini recommended Solicitors Regulation Authority-fined or closed firms when asked for conveyancing solicitors, the Law Gazette reported on September 29, 2026. The AI's Blind Spot report says assistants rely on Google listings and review sites that display SRA badges without checking regulatory decisions for ordinary "best solicitor" queries. The charity urged the SRA to publish sanctions as open data and AI developers to check the regulator's register before recommending firms.
Key points
- Blind Justice UK's AI's Blind Spot report found ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini recommended SRA-fined or closed firms for ordinary conveyancing queries.Law Gazette
- In Doncaster tests, all three assistants ranked a fined firm first; in Maidenhead, Claude named a firm the SRA had shut seven months earlier.Law Gazette
- The report says assistants use review sites that show SRA badges but do not routinely check disciplinary decisions for "who is best" questions.Law Gazette
- Assistants more often cited regulatory history when asked directly whether a firm had been fined or disciplined.Law Gazette
- Blind Justice UK urged the SRA to publish sanctions as open machine-readable data and AI developers to check the register before recommending solicitors.Law Gazette