Using AI in Family Law

Everyone is talking about Artificial Intelligence (AI). Use of AI is certainly a hot button issue in society, but also in the legal world, particularly when it comes to Family Law.  While there are many benefits associated using AI in Family Law litigation, there are also great risks associated with using AI as you navigate through your own personal situation.

Tools like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Claude, Grok and others can answer questions, summarize information, or help you write. They work by predicting patterns in language—not by thinking like a person.  This can be a big drawback when trying to understand the application of the law, customs or policies of courts in your area. 

AI can be a helpful tool with your Family Law situation if used the right way.  But you should not rely on it to give you legal advice or tell you exactly how the law may apply to your Family Law situation.

By its very nature, Family Law is deeply personal.  Of the thousands of cases filed in any jurisdiction during a year, no two cases are ever going to be the same.  As we are all individuals, each of our family situations is unique. So using AI can be helpful to you as you go through what can often be the toughest time in your life, you should be careful not to become too dependent on AI. Keep in mind that AI cannot advocate on your behalf when presenting your case.

Below are just a few of the pros and cons with using AI in your own Family Law situation.

PROS:

Among the best uses of AI for Family Law Situation are to understand legal terminology, help you organize important facts and financial information, and help guide you through difficult, often emotional interactions with your former partner. 

Understanding legal terms and factual/financial organization are very straightforward uses of AI.  There are no doubt scores of legal terms and processes that can be understood better by using AI.  What is an “equitable” settlement?  Similarly, tasks such as assembling bank records, 401K statements or creation of spreadsheets can be simplified with the help of AI. 

However, the use of AI can be invaluable in Family Law situations where effective communication is difficult to achieve, but necessary to have.  Often, because of the emotions involved, calls, texts, emails between divorcing spouses, or separated parents can be toxic and filled with blame, accusation or anger.  AI can help to improve your communications to be more neutral in tone, rather than aggressive.  In doing so, you can maximize the effectiveness of your communication with the other party. 

CONS: 

When it comes to the downside of using AI in your Family Law situation, it is important to realize that there are very big risks, often with massive consequences if AI is not used with caution.  Breaches of confidentiality, lack of familial context and legal inaccuracies can have devasting effects, not just on your Family Law matter, but on your life in general. 

There are several high-profile cases where breaches in confidentiality or a lack of privacy occurred during a litigation because of one party’s use of AI.  You must be very careful with what is shared with AI, because even if you pay for a subscription to an AI service, that does not necessarily mean your privacy is guaranteed. 

In addition, using AI often produces very generalized results that are not specific to your family situation or in the cases of drafting supporting documentation, often feel impersonal.  Always remember, the Family Law Court does not know you beyond a Case Number, so humanization and personalization is something AI can never do for you.  That is up to you and how your case is presented. 

Similarly, using AI may often lead to legal inaccuracies for your individual case.  For example, while AI can be a fantastic tool to help understand the basics of the law, an experienced Family Law practitioner is probably in a better position to explain application of local rules or how a particular judge may be swayed given a certain situation. 

Overall, the use of AI in Family Law is an excellent resource for one to use, particularly in the early stages of your situation in the courts, however, becoming reliant upon AI as the case goes on does come with great risks. 

Family Law litigation can be emotionally difficult and complex. Decisions made about each step of the litigation can affect you and your children. We have decades of experience helping our clients and their loved ones and can help you through the process. Contact us today at (253) 838 – 3377 or email at office@bainslawfirm.com, to talk about your situation.

Disclaimer: All materials provided on this website have been prepared by Bains Law Firm for general information purposes only and no representation is made as to their completeness or accuracy. Information on this website is not intended as legal advice and may not be relied upon as such. Only an attorney who can review the unique facts of each case and apply them to the statutes, case law and court rules can provide legal advice. Nothing in this website shall be construed to create an attorney-client relationship.