The recent High Court decision in Mazur, which limits litigation conduct by non-authorised individuals, has prompted questions about its implications for AI-powered legal services. But Philip Young, founder of Garfield.AI—the world’s first regulated AI-driven law firm—has made clear that the ruling poses no threat to his operation.
Garfield.AI is authorised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and helps small and medium-sized businesses recover unpaid debts of up to £10,000 using an AI-powered litigation assistant. Young, a former City litigator, stressed that Garfield’s AI is not a “person” under the Legal Services Act and cannot conduct litigation in the legal sense. Every case is reviewed and approved by a qualified solicitor—currently Young himself—before documents are filed or sent. He plans to recruit more solicitors as caseloads grow.
Most claims handled by Garfield settle before litigation, with 70–80% resolving after letters before action—steps explicitly ruled not to constitute litigation in the recent Baxter v Doble case. For the small percentage of defended claims—around 2–5%—Garfield ensures full solicitor involvement. Young also plans to enhance automated document checks as an added safeguard.
Young said other high-volume firms have expressed interest in Garfield’s model, seeing it as a compliant and cost-effective way to sustain operations post-Mazur. He argued that the Legal Services Act was not intended to criminalise competent, supervised professionals—such as Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) fellows—while allowing newly qualified solicitors to handle the same tasks unchallenged, calling the situation an “obvious absurdity.”
Garfield’s profile rose recently after featuring in a Channel 4 Dispatches documentary comparing its AI with a trainee solicitor. While the AI produced results in under ten minutes at a fraction of the cost, a supervising associate ultimately preferred the trainee’s more detailed output—highlighting the continued importance of human oversight.
Industry observers see Garfield as a landmark in the evolution of legal services, combining automation with solicitor supervision to lower costs and improve access to justice. The SRA’s endorsement signals growing support for innovation under regulated conditions.
Looking ahead, Garfield aims to further streamline debt recovery using AI, offering a model that may help reshape the legal landscape—balancing technology with robust compliance to make legal services more accessible across the UK.
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