“May you live in interesting times.” This saying is not really a wish for your entertainment. “Interesting times” are times of struggle, trouble and turmoil. It’s not boring, but it’s not what we want. The saying is also not what it seems in another way: it is often described as an ancient Chinese curse, but it is actually neither ancient nor Chinese.

Thus, the “interesting times” aphorism is apt for us today in two ways. First, we are in times that will test us both as lawyers and as citizens. Second, our understanding of what is true is being actively undermined. The use of social media to promulgate and spread falsehoods, as well as to rewrite history, has been a growing threat, made exponentially more dangerous through the use of generative artificial intelligence. As lawyers, we must resolve in this New Year to hold the line against misinformation that damages our institutions and our democracy. We have a duty to our profession, our clients and the courts to ensure that our legal theories are based on provable facts that support fairness and justice. As the Preamble to the Rules of Professional Conduct tells us: “(a) lawyer, as a member of the legal profession, is a representative of clients, an officer of the legal system and a public citizen having a special responsibility for the quality of justice.”