BelizePractice Direction No. 18 of 2025, ethical use of generative AI in court proceedings
A citation is an address, not a summary. The first part names the law; what follows narrows it to the exact section, article or paragraph.
What follows is LexLint's own research summary of this law, not legal advice.
In force since 12 August 2025.
An AI transparency rule binding public and private bodies.
As of 5 September 2026.
What it requires
- Do not use generative AI to produce the content of an affidavit, witness statement, or other material intended to reflect a deponent's or witness's own evidence submitted in a Belizean court.
- Disclose when AI-generated content is used in a court submission, and independently verify any AI-generated legal research before relying on it.
What it reaches
How the hook was established
express
What makes it apply
Place of effect
Obligation class
Disclosure, Prohibition
What it makes you log
Who may demand the log
Court
What the log must hold
System identity, Output reference, Disclosure shown
Logging duty
Neither section uses the words log, record, or audit trail, but section 3(3) conditions any permitted use of AI in an annexure or exhibit on a written application to the Court specifying the AI programme or system and its version, and section 3(5) requires disclosing when AI-generated content is used in a court submission, so a court user cannot show compliance without a record the Court can examine, which is the implicit shape.
- Kind
- Implicit
- As of
- 22 September 2026
- Provision
- Practice Direction No. 18 of 2025, ss. 3(3) and 3(5)
- Trigger
- content_generation
Why the legislator wanted it
Section 2(2)'s statement of aim, the closest thing to a recital in this short Practice Direction.
- As of
- 22 September 2026
- Quote
- The aim is to ensure that AI is used in a manner that upholds the integrity, fairness, and transparency of the judicial process while safeguarding legal and ethical standards.
- Source link
- https://www.belizejudiciary.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Practice-Direction-No.-18-of-2025-Ethical-Use-of-Generative-Artificial-Intelligence-in-Court-Proceedings.pdf
- Source kind
- Recital
- Purpose
- provenance_and_authenticity
- accountability_demonstration
Who checks it
Audit expectation
none
What this law does
Drafted with AI from the cited sources under the direction of UnGovr staff. UnGovr holds editorial responsibility for this page.
The Practice Direction, made by the Rules Committee on 11 August 2025 and effective from 12 August 2025, applies to all legal professionals, judges, court personnel, attorneys, parties, witnesses, self-represented persons, and other court users, not only judicial officers.
It prohibits using generative AI to generate the content of an affidavit, witness statement, or other material meant to reflect a deponent's or witness's own evidence, and requires disclosure when AI-generated content is used in court submissions, including legal arguments, precedents, and reports, together with independent verification of any AI-generated legal research before it is relied on.
A court user who relies on AI output assumes full responsibility for its accuracy, relevance, and appropriateness, and non-compliance can result in rejection of AI-generated submissions, ethical review, or other disciplinary measures. The Direction governs the use of AI tools within litigation and does not impose a duty on an AI product or service provider outside that context.
When LexLint raises it
generates_content
Read the law
Practice Direction No. 18 of 2025, official text published by the Belize Judiciary
Every line above is drawn from the primary source linked here, read on the date shown. This is a research summary, not legal advice.