A local attorney has resigned after the Arkansas Supreme Court determined she used artificial intelligence to help draft a court filing that included inaccurate legal citations.
According to court documents, Dana McClain was ordered on Dec. 11, 2025, to show cause after concerns were raised about possible AI use in a pleading filed with the court. During a subsequent review, officials found portions of McClain’s response contained citations to cases that could not be located.
McClain later admitted to using Microsoft Office Copilot for assistance, telling the court she entered prompts such as asking for case law and statutes related to Arkansas dependency-neglect matters, complete with citations.
“It was a regrettable decision and lack of oversight made under significant personal strain,” McClain said in her response.
She told the court she intended to verify the accuracy of the information generated by the AI tool but failed to do so, citing extraordinary personal circumstances.
Following the court’s findings, McClain resigned from her position and self-reported the matter to the Office of Professional Conduct.
In its order, the Arkansas Supreme Court emphasized that attorneys are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of all filings, regardless of whether artificial intelligence tools are used. The court warned that violations of professional rules involving AI could result in harsher penalties in the future, including significant fines or the suspension or loss of an attorney’s license to practice law in Arkansas.
