Writer / Researcher
Custody X Change
UK solicitors, including those in family law firms, are using diverse AI tools in 2026. If you hire a solicitor, they’ll likely make some use of AI in your case. Exactly what use may be appropriate will vary depending on your situation. If you’re representing yourself, then it’s up to you what technology you use to organise your information and present your case to the court.
If you have legal representation
Family law involves the physical and emotional safety and overall well-being of adults and children. The tools that today we call “AI” can’t replace human sensitivity and expertise in this area. Legal experts do, however, use AI to enhance their research process and their judgments.
Many law firms use specialised AI systems that train on legal documents. These systems are called Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) because they retrieve specialised data to generate text. These systems are more accurate and effective than generic chatbots that train on whatever text they can scrape or are fed. RAG minimises what are called “hallucinations,” that is, words that do not correspond to reality.
Some AI tools are designed to give risk assessments — for example, about possible threats to a child’s well-being. These tools can be biased, insofar as there can be bias in data they reference or in how they are coded. Other tools are designed to help adults negotiate a financial compromise by predicting what they’ll settle for. This can speed up mediation or arbitration in family law.
A September 2024 survey conducted for Clio, a legal technology company, found that nearly all UK law firms were using AI in some way. Drafting documents was one of the most common uses. Most solicitors who were surveyed said they felt their use of AI did not make them more productive, improve their work quality, reduce their stress, or even save them time. They may have meant that they used it often and it wasn’t helpful, or that it was helpful but they didn’t yet use it often. Most reported that their firms intended to increase their use of AI.
One reason law firms use AI is that they know other firms are using it. The availability of AI resets expectations for what kind of legal representation is adequate. A solicitor is professionally obligated to represent their client competently; therefore, they may use AI especially if they believe it could help their client win or lower their client’s legal bills.
There is even an AI-only law firm, Garfield AI, the first of its kind in the UK. However, it doesn’t practice family law. It generates letters to recover small debts. If you seek help from a family law firm, there will be a human involved in the process.
If you’re handling your court case on your own
Simply because “you don’t know what you don’t know,” try to at least consult with a legal expert if at all possible. They can let you know if they anticipate you might need to pay attention to a certain topic or if you might encounter something complex. If you can’t afford the help you need, see if you qualify for legal aid. Be aware that a designated assistant called a McKenzie friend can come to court with you.
Divorces and cases for child arrangements are stressful. Reading and writing can be part of that stress, and sometimes people look for ways to smooth the path. A basic AI program can help you summarise a stack of documents, draft a letter, change your text to make it sound formal for court or simple enough for a child to understand, or translate between English and another language.
Even so, don’t rely on AI to do all your research and communication for you. Remember that AI can overlook important information, suggest wording that’s false or otherwise inadvisable for you to say, and miss the nuance of what others have said. There are many reasons not to make a parenting plan with AI — for example, you’d be better off using a template that has a history of being accepted in court. And you’ll want to make your own schedule carefully so you know exactly what parental responsibilities you’re promising, down to the hour.
Don’t ask a mainstream AI platform like ChatGPT for legal advice. Though it may be able to generally describe the law where you live, it could leave you with inaccurate impressions, as it has likely trained on information about the United States and other countries. Secondly, no AI program begins with any unique facts about your case, like the real reason you broke up with your ex or what homework help your child needs. Before it could even begin to summarise your situation, you’d have to provide a lot of private information, which you might not feel comfortable providing to an AI company. And even with that information, a basic AI text generator might not be able to help you protect yourself or strategise.
Choose how to organise and present your own information
You and your children deserve to put your best foot forward and make your strongest possible case in court. A solicitor, if you hire one, will have ideas about how to do this, and they’ll likely use AI in some way. If you’re representing yourself, you can make your own choices about how you’ll comply with court requirements.
Everyone who goes to court can use technology to stay organised. You’ll likely want to record your living expenses, save your text messages with your ex, and format a professional-looking document. There’s software for this, like Custody X Change and other co-parenting apps, that doesn’t involve “AI.”
Read more articles by Tucker Lieberman.
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About Tucker Lieberman
Tucker Lieberman is a Writer / Researcher for Custody X Change. After a decade with an investment company focusing on saving for university, he now writes about co-parenting arrangements.
About Custody X Change: This powerful tool helps divorced and single parents create parenting plans, track their custody schedules, manage expenses and more. Since 2005, we’ve helped over 60,000 parents ensure the best possible future for their children.
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