AI law firm Garfield takes on trainee in Channel 4 experiment - but who won?

The UK’s first regulated AI law firm, Garfield AI - founded by former City litigator Philip Young and launched to much fanfare earlier this year - has been featured in a Channel 4 Dispatches experiment that pitted its software against a trainee solicitor in drafting a real legal claim.

Broadcast on Monday (20 October), the programme - titled "Will AI Take My Job?" and presented by an AI-generated host - saw Garfield go head-to-head with Charlotte Jaques, a trainee at Derby firm Summerfield Browne. Both were asked to analyse a small-claims dispute between a builder and a client who refused to pay a £4,500 bill, and prepare the claim form for court.

The outcome

The results were judged blind by Jaques' supervisor, Zainab Zaeem, who concluded that Garfield’s version "would be acceptable in a court of law", but missed details including key references to precedent, such as the case establishing that a WhatsApp message can form a contract.

Zaeem ultimately chose Jaques’ work as the stronger of the two, though said she was "genuinely impressed by both documents" in feedback reported by Garfield AI.

The cost difference was striking. Garfield charged the builder client £100 + VAT for a claim which it produced in about ten minutes, while the human version took three to four hours and cost £1,080. The client said he would "definitely" choose Garfield on this basis alone.

Designed to work with lawyers

Writing on LinkedIn, Garfield CEO Young said: "while the TV segment framed it as 'AI vs Human' (with suspenseful music and portentous commentary to boot), that’s not how we see it at all.

"Garfield is built to work for and with businesses and for and with lawyers, not against them. It takes on the drafting, admin and paperwork so solicitors can focus on higher-level strategy, advice and human judgment."

We spoke to Young on The Non-Billable Podcast earlier this year. Listen in for insights into the origin story behind Garfield, how the product works, and what it means for the profession now that an SRA-approved AI law firm exists.

Bigger picture

The broadcast comes as debate grows over how far, and how fast, AI can replace human lawyers. A report last week found that AI tools now outperform lawyers on legal research tasks, while UK legal tech investment hit a record £116 million in the first half of 2025 - nearly matching the full-year total for 2024.

Founded by City litigator Philip Young and quantum physicist Daniel Long, Garfield specialises in helping small businesses recover debts through the English and Welsh courts. It became the first SRA-approved AI law firm in May 2025.