The Quebec Superior Court’s 2024 decision in Centre de services scolaire des Laurentides c. Syndicat de l’enseignement des Laurentides remains the leading Canadian case to address an adjudicator’s undisclosed use of artificial intelligence. The court overturned an arbitration award after the arbitrator admitted to using ChatGPT to assist in writing the decision. Since that ruling, several courts and professional bodies have issued new guidance reinforcing the need for transparency in the legal profession’s use of AI. The British Columbia Supreme Court introduced a practice direction in 2025 requiring lawyers to disclose when AI tools are used in preparing materials, echoing similar directions in the Yukon and Manitoba. The Federal Court of Canada has also urged parties to indicate when submissions are drafted or assisted by AI. Courts in the United States and the United Kingdom have taken parallel steps, prompted by incidents involving fabricated AI citations.
These developments reflect a growing global movement toward responsible AI use in legal decision‑making and advocacy. Governments and international institutions are beginning to establish coordinated frameworks for AI governance, risk reduction, and ethical accountability. The European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act has emerged as the first comprehensive legislative model, classifying AI uses by risk level and imposing obligations proportional to potential harm. Multilateral discussions at the United Nations and the G7 are now focusing on common definitions of ethical use, transparency, and explainability. Collectively, these efforts illustrate that legal systems worldwide are transitioning from fragmented experimentation to structured governance, even as approaches remain diverse and evolving.
It was against this dynamic global backdrop that the Ontario Bar Association’s International Law Section hosted the webinar AI and International Legal Risk: Governance, Accountability, and the Evolution of Global Legal Standards. The program was chaired by Elena Mamay, litigator at Mann Lawyers, and featured Professor Jake Okechukwu Effoduh, Assistant Professor at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law and Senior Fellow at CIGI, and Lauren Nickerson, AI and Litigation Associate at Torys LLP. Together, they examined how shifting international frameworks intersect with the daily realities of legal risk management in Canada.