Garden Desk
Paste it into ChatGPT, and it's public
A UK tribunal ruled that uploading client documents to ChatGPT breaches confidentiality and waives privilege. Here's how to get the same help safely.
A UK tribunal said it plainly. Uploading client documents to ChatGPT is "to place this information on the internet in the public domain."
What happened
An immigration adviser used ChatGPT to summarise Home Office letters and polish client emails. Ordinary work. It saved maybe an hour.
What it cost:
- Confidentiality: breached.
- Legal privilege: waived. You can't get it back.
- Regulators: he reported himself to the SRA and the Immigration Advice Authority.
- Clients: he had to tell every one.
The case: UK and Munir v SSHD [2026] UKUT 81 (IAC).
A bad trade
An hour saved. A client's privilege lost. Nobody should have to make that trade.
Same work. Nothing leaves.
Garden Desk gives you the same help on your own computer.
- Open it. No account, no setup.
- Point it at the folder.
- Ask: "Summarise this decision letter and draft a reply to the client."
You get the same result. Nothing leaves your computer, so there's nothing to report.
Why it's safe
- Local. It runs on your computer. No cloud, no tracking.
- No way online. The assistant works in a sealed space with no internet connection.
- Read-only. It can read your files but can't change your originals.
- Open source. Anyone can check the code.
The tribunal drew a line between tools that put your data out in the world and tools that keep it private. Garden Desk keeps everything on your computer.
One honest warning
The tribunal also said free AI tools "are not capable of conducting reliable legal research." No AI is a law library, and that includes Garden Desk. Check every citation yourself.
The cost
Free. Open source. One download.
This post is general information, not legal advice.