Preprint: LLMs Drive Pro Se Federal Filings to Historically Unprecedented Levels
A new preprint documents that LLMs are enabling self-represented (pro se) federal court filings at rates described as historically unprecedented. The research adds empirical weight to a broader pattern identified by Ethan Mollick: every system that was regulated — explicitly or implicitly — by the effort cost of participation (court filings, letters of recommendation, government submissions, essays) is now structurally exposed to disruption as LLMs lower that effort cost to near zero.
Why It Matters
Courts are designed to filter by the effort barrier of professional legal representation. Removing that filter without a replacement mechanism creates a volume problem courts are not resourced to handle. This preprint is among the first to quantify the effect empirically, making it a likely reference point for judicial system adaptation efforts and LLM regulation discussions in 2026.