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Tracked Changes, Thursday, April 16, 2026

What changed in legal AI · · 2 min read

  1. California State Bar charges two lawyers over AI-fabricated citations and settles with a third

    The State Bar of California announced on April 13 that it had charged Omid Emile Khalifeh on April 1 and Steven Thomas Romeyn on March 30 over court filings with fabricated or inaccurate authorities. Those charges are allegations the State Bar Court has not ruled on. A third lawyer, Sepideh Ardestani, stipulated to a one-year stayed suspension and probation that includes a 30-day actual suspension and 10 hours of technology-focused continuing education.

    Source: KTLA · Read more: What should a law firm's generative AI policy cover?, How to avoid AI-hallucinated citations in court filings

  2. Nebraska Supreme Court suspends an Omaha lawyer who denied using AI in a flawed divorce brief

    The Nebraska Supreme Court temporarily suspended Omaha attorney Greg Lake on April 15 until further notice. Opposing counsel counted 57 problems among 63 references in his divorce appeal brief. At oral argument in February, Lake told the justices he had not used AI and blamed uploading the wrong version. He later filed an affidavit admitting he had used it. A referee will recommend how long the suspension lasts.

    Source: WOWT · Read more: How to avoid AI-hallucinated citations in court filings

  3. Legal tech raised about $2.34 billion in the first quarter, and three companies took roughly 63%

    Legal Complex data published by Artificial Lawyer on April 13 puts first-quarter 2026 legal tech funding at about $2.34 billion across 103 deals. Relativity, Harvey and Legora took roughly 63% of the total, led by a $720 million debt facility for Relativity. The median round was $1 million, and seed deals outnumbered growth deals for the first time since early 2024.

    Source: Artificial Lawyer