Garfield: The Ultimate AI Law Disrupter
Move over, billable hour-there’s a new associate in town, and it doesn’t need coffee breaks or job reviews. It’s the ultimate AI legal disrupter – a law firm that is entirely driven by AI.
The UK Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has just authorized Garfield AI, the UK’s first law firm run entirely by artificial intelligence, to offer legal services for as little as £2 a pop. For less than the price of a flat white, Garfield will draft your “polite chaser” debt recovery letter, and for £50, it’ll file your claim in small claims court.
Garfield AI, the brainchild of ex-litigator Philip Young (pictured) and quantum physicist Daniel Long, is designed to help everyone from sole traders to big corporates chase unpaid debts-without the sticker shock of traditional legal fees.
Just drag and drop your unpaid invoice, and Garfield checks the facts, reviews Companies House records, and guides you through the entire small claims process. The AI drafts correspondence, files documents, and even helps you prep arguments for trial-all while making it clear to the other side that they’re dealing with an AI solution.
Garfield’s approach aims to democratize access to justice by slashing costs and streamlining the process-no silk required. Even the judiciary is on board: Lord Justice Birss called this kind of tech “absolutely at the core of what we can do for access to justice”.
Before you worry about robo-justice gone rogue, all AI-generated outputs are initially reviewed by Philip Young himself, with plans to move to a sampling review as the system proves itself. The SRA’s approval followed a rigorous, eight-month review process, with ongoing oversight to ensure standards don’t slip
Garfield isn’t just for end users; law firms can white-label the platform to handle high-volume, low-value claims at scale-potentially boosting margins without hiring more staff. The model’s modular design means it could soon expand into areas like housing disrepair claims, with the possibility of supporting more complex cases alongside human lawyers.
Garfield AI’s SRA approval marks a “landmark moment” for legal services, signaling that the future of law might just be a little less human-but a lot more accessible.
