# Can AI Represent You in Court?

> No. Courts let people use AI to prepare filings, but only a licensed lawyer can represent someone else, and the person filing answers for every word.

By The Circle Desk | AI in Practice | Published 2026-10-26
Source: https://legaltechcircle.com/insights/can-ai-represent-you-in-court/

No. An AI tool cannot appear for you, argue for you, or act as your
lawyer in a U.S. court. What courts increasingly allow is narrower:
people representing themselves may use AI tools to help understand
procedures and draft papers, as long as they take full responsibility
for what they file. "Can AI represent you in court" and "can you use
AI to represent yourself in court" both appear in Google's
autocomplete, and the answer to the second is very different from the
first.

## What Do Courts Say?

The clearest statement comes from courts writing for self-represented
litigants. The Northern District of California's [guide to using AI
tools in your case](https://cand.uscourts.gov/representing-yourself/using-ai-tools-your-case)
says AI tools cannot "represent you in court," "provide legal advice,"
or "exercise professional legal judgment." It also says using AI to
help argue a case is permitted, subject to rules. People may use AI to
understand legal terms, organize information and draft text, but
"regardless of which tools you use, you are responsible for everything
you file with the Court."

That responsibility has teeth. Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure
11, a person who files a document certifies that its legal claims are
supported and its facts have evidentiary support. The court page warns
that AI tools may generate nonexistent case citations and that filings
with false information can lead to sanctions. The Northern District of
Illinois publishes [similar guidance on generative
AI](https://www.ilnd.uscourts.gov/Pages.aspx?page=GenAI).

Some judges also require disclosure of AI use. The California page
tells litigants to check their assigned judge's standing orders. Our
[court AI disclosure
tracker](https://legaltechcircle.com/insights/court-ai-disclosure-orders-tracker/)
follows those orders.

## What Happened to the Robot Lawyer?

The most famous attempt to sell AI as a lawyer ended with a federal
settlement. The Federal Trade Commission [finalized an order against
DoNotPay](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/02/ftc-finalizes-order-donotpay-prohibits-deceptive-ai-lawyer-claims-imposes-monetary-relief-requires)
in February 2025. DoNotPay had marketed itself as "the world's first
robot lawyer." The FTC charged that the company did not test whether
its service performed at the level of a human lawyer and did not hire
attorneys to check its legal features. The order required $193,000 in
monetary relief, notice to subscribers from 2021 to 2023, and a ban on
claiming the service performs like a real lawyer without evidence.

The broader rule behind all of this is that representing another
person in court is the practice of law, which states reserve for
licensed attorneys. Software is not licensed.

## Is AI Information Confidential When You Represent Yourself?

Not necessarily. The Northern District of California page warns that
information entered into AI tools may not be confidential, may not be
protected by privilege, and could be discoverable. Courts have split
on how far protection goes. In Warner v. Gilbarco and Morgan v. V2X in
2026, federal magistrate judges treated a self-represented litigant's
AI work as protected work product, while in United States v. Heppner a
judge found a represented defendant's own AI chats were not
privileged. The ABA's [comparison of the three
cases](https://www.americanbar.org/groups/law_practice/resources/law-technology-today/2026/when-does-client-use-of-ai-waive-privilege/)
explains the difference.

## Where AI Does Help

Vendors and access to justice groups are building AI into self-help
tools rather than claiming to replace lawyers. Anthropic, for example,
lists connectors from Courtroom5 and Free Law Project's CourtListener
aimed at people without lawyers, and our coverage of [whether AI will
replace lawyers](https://legaltechcircle.com/insights/will-ai-replace-lawyers/)
looks at the larger debate. For people who cannot afford counsel, the
federal courts point to legal help centers and licensed attorneys
first.

**Fluff.** The robot lawyer that stands up in court does not exist in
U.S. law. The real story is AI as a drafting aid for people who still
carry full responsibility.

## Common Questions

**Can AI represent me in court?**

No. Courts say AI tools cannot represent you, give legal advice or
exercise legal judgment. Only a licensed attorney can represent
another person.

**Can I use AI to write my court filings?**

Some courts say yes for self-represented litigants, but you are
responsible for every word and citation, and some judges require you
to disclose AI use.

**What happened to DoNotPay's robot lawyer?**

The FTC finalized an order in 2025 requiring $193,000 in relief and
barring claims that the service performs like a lawyer without
evidence.

**Is what I type into an AI tool confidential?**

Not necessarily. Courts warn it may be stored by the provider and
could be discoverable.

---
Legal Tech Circle (https://legaltechcircle.com/). News and analysis, not legal advice.