AR Attorney resigns after AI citations found in court filing

An Arkansas attorney has resigned after filing court documents that included case citations generated by artificial intelligence that could not be verified, according to the Arkansas Supreme Court.The court issued a show cause order Dec. 11, 2025, directing attorney Dana McClain to respond to concerns regarding the use of AI in a pleading filed with the court. During its review, the court found portions of McClain’s submission contained citations to cases that could not be located in legal records.

McClain acknowledged using Microsoft Office Copilot to help prepare her response, entering prompts asking for case law, statutes and supporting citations related to Arkansas dependency-neglect law. She told the court the decision was “regrettable” and described it as a lapse in oversight made while under significant personal strain. McClain said she intended to verify the accuracy of the AI-generated citations but failed to do so because of what she described as extraordinary personal circumstances.

McClain resigned from her position and self reported the matter to the Arkansas Office of Professional Conduct. In its order, the Supreme Court reminded attorneys they are responsible for the accuracy of all filings and warned that misuse of artificial intelligence in legal work could result in discipline, including substantial fines, suspension or loss of the privilege to practice law in Arkansas.

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