AI Use Policy

Purpose

This policy explains how Duan & Duan UK LLP uses artificial-intelligence (AI) tools in its client work, and the safeguards we apply. It is written in plain language for clients, prospective clients and counterparties. It reflects the Solicitors Regulation Authority's warning notice on the misuse of AI (August 2026), guidance from the Law Society of England and Wales, and the judiciary's AI guidance (October 2025).

Our principles

1. A qualified lawyer is responsible for every piece of work. AI tools support legal research, drafting, translation and administration. They do not give legal advice. Every piece of AI-assisted work is reviewed by a qualified lawyer before it is relied on or sent, and our professional responsibility for it is the same as for any other work.
2. Every legal authority is verified. Before any case, statute, rule or quotation is relied on in advice or put before a court or tribunal, it is checked against its primary source (for example The National Archives' Find Case Law, Westlaw, Practical Law or legislation.gov.uk). We do not rely on AI output alone for any statement of law.
3. Client-confidential information is protected. Client information is used only in tools covered by appropriate contractual, technical and organisational safeguards, including a commitment that our data is not used to train the provider's models. We never enter client information into free or consumer AI services.
4. Our professional obligations are unchanged. Our duties under the SRA Standards and Regulations and to the court, including competence, confidentiality, not misleading the court, and acting in our clients' best interests, apply in full whether or not AI is involved.

Which tools we use

The firm uses the following enterprise AI tools:

• Thomson Reuters CoCounsel: a legal AI assistant used for legal research, document review and summarisation, under Thomson Reuters's enterprise terms.
• Claude Team (Anthropic): used for drafting support, document analysis and English–Chinese bilingual work. Anthropic's commercial terms provide that our inputs are not used to train its models.
• Microsoft 365 Copilot: used within our Microsoft 365 email, documents and collaboration platform for tasks such as drafting, document search and summarisation, operating within the firm's own Microsoft 365 environment under Microsoft's commercial terms, which provide that our content is not used to train its models.
• Our own document search system on Microsoft Azure: the firm's document store and search index are hosted in Microsoft Azure's UK South region (London), within the firm's own Azure environment.

We do not use free or consumer versions of any AI service for client work.

What AI is used for

• legal research across English law and, where relevant, PRC law sources;
• first drafts of correspondence, internal notes and sections of longer documents;
• summarising documents and first-pass document review;
• draft translations between English and Chinese, reviewed by a qualified Chinese-speaking lawyer before they are relied on;
• administrative tasks such as organising documents and summarising meetings.

What AI is not used for

AI is not used to:

• give final legal advice to a client;
• approve or sign off a document, a court filing or a settlement position;
• replace a qualified lawyer wherever professional judgement is required;
• process client information in any tool that lacks the safeguards described above.

Courts and tribunals

Documents we put before a court or tribunal are prepared and checked by our lawyers. Every authority cited is verified against its primary source, and we comply with any requirement of a court or tribunal to disclose whether AI has been used.

Supervision, governance and training

• Responsible partner: Jackson Ng, Partner, is responsible for the firm's use of AI and for this policy.
• Supervision: AI-assisted work by trainees, paralegals and other staff is supervised by a partner or solicitor, as with all their work.
• Approved tools only: staff may use only the tools listed above for client work.
• Training: everyone at the firm is trained on this policy, on confidentiality, and on the need to verify AI output.

Costs

AI tools allow us to work more efficiently and save time, which saves our clients money. We charge only for the time our lawyers actually spend on a matter; we do not charge separately for the use of AI tools.

Transparency with clients

Clients may ask at any stage whether and how AI tools have been used on their matter, and we will answer openly. AI tools form part of how the firm delivers its services; clients who have questions or concerns about their use are welcome to raise them with the lawyer responsible for their matter.

Review

This policy was last reviewed on 27 September 2026. It is reviewed at least once a year, and whenever the tools we use change or the SRA, the Law Society or the judiciary issues new guidance.