A wave of self-represented litigants is bearing down on the Federal Court, with almost double the number of lawyer-free claims compared with a year ago, showing that an explosion of AI-driven lawsuits is causing havoc for even the country’s senior judges.

The latest Federal Court figures reveal a huge rise in claims filed by parties without a lawyer – up 80 per cent from financial year 2025, and an astonishing 150 per cent since financial year 2024.

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