An Open Letter to Our Members and Friends about NYCLA & AI

In the last two years, New York courts have repeatedly sanctioned lawyers for filing AI-assisted pleadings that, unfortunately, contain errors and hallucinations.  In one such case we saw recently, the lawyer responding to such a sanctions motion did so in part by blaming the cost of the legal research duopoly which he said he couldn’t afford.  Lawyers caught in this bind face not only sanctions, but possible discipline and severe public embarrassment.

So, what does this have to do with you at a solo or small practice firm?  Many solo and small firm lawyers sometimes turn to generative AI programs, such as ChatGPT, to help them perform legal research because subscribing to major online legal research services like Westlaw and/or Lexis/Nexis is cost prohibitive for them.

NYCLA can help. 

NYCLA’s Westlaw subscription is available to all  Members while in the NYCLA Library at no cost as one of the many benefits of NYCLA Membership.

Current Members: Take advantage of your NYCLA Membership by accessing Westlaw and our other library resources to verify AI- assisted research and safeguard your practice.

Non-Members: Consider joining NYCLA today! Membership gives you access to Westlaw, official reports, and other tools at a fraction of the cost of commercial subscriptions, helping your practice and avoiding costly mistakes.

So, you can begin your research initially using AI, or any of the free online resources such as FindLaw.  Some of those free services we even offer through our member portal.  Then, when your research and writing have advanced, you can use NYCLA’s own library, which includes the official online reports, to confirm the accuracy of what you’ve been told by AI.  That can be a much more cost-effective way to proceed than subscribing to one or both online duopoly services yourself.  Your NYCLA dues are a fraction of the cost of either online research service.   

So do yourself a favor: join NYCLA and save money.  And as an added plus, you won’t then be subject to public embarrassment or criticism, or worse, fines and sanctions, by citing hallucinated AI “authority.”

About the New York County Lawyers Association
The New York County Lawyers Association (www.nycla.org) was founded in 1908 as one of the first major bar associations in the country that admitted members without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, or gender. Since its inception, it has pioneered some of the most far-reaching and tangible reforms in American jurisprudence and has continuously played an active role in legal developments and public policy.

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