In the United Kingdom, more people who cannot afford lawyers are using AI tools to prepare employment tribunal cases. That improves access to justice, but it is arriving inside a system already struggling with volume.
By September 2025, pending employment tribunal cases had risen 26% in a year to more than 60,000. Total unresolved claims passed 500,000 for the first time. A standard unfair dismissal case now waits more than a year for a hearing, compared with about 30 weeks a decade earlier.
AI helps claimants and slows the court
AI gives litigants in person more confidence and better-structured documents. The other side is that tribunals often receive large bundles with irrelevant material mixed in, forcing staff and judges to spend more time separating useful evidence from noise.
Roy Magara of Magara Law said AI is changing access to justice in the employment tribunal system, while warning that preparation is not the same as legal advice.
If the Employment Rights Bill takes effect, the government's own estimate points to 17% more cases, including about 6,900 additional claims and 1,300 more matters requiring judicial time. Similar pressure is appearing in US courts as self-represented people use AI to draft filings.
Sources: CocoLoop, HR News report on tribunal delays and AI-driven employment claims in the United Kingdom.