AI for Consumer law
Jul 6, 2025
A senior associate from a national commercial firm called me last month. He was advising a large FMCG client accused of predatory pricing under section 46 of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth).
The ACCC’s brief claimed the client had lowered prices in a way that substantially lessened competition — a serious allegation. He needed to understand how the courts had applied the ‘purpose, effect or likely effect’ test since the Harper Reforms.
He asked Evatt AI:
‘How do Australian courts determine whether conduct substantially lessens competition under s 46 post-2017?’
Evatt returned:
ACCC v Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd [2015] FCA 113 — discussing pricing strategy and market power
ACCC v Pacific National [2020] FCAFC 77 — detailed analysis of counterfactual market scenarios
Queensland Wire Industries Pty Ltd v BHP (1989) 167 CLR 177 — foundational to understanding market power and refusal to deal
But what made the difference wasn’t just the cases — it was how Evatt stitched them together. The AI didn’t just cite law. It explained how each judgment interpreted s 46, identified doctrinal shifts post-Harper, and even helped draft a section of the firm’s internal advice.
The lawyer told me:
‘Evatt outperformed everything we’ve tried — including Lexis+ and our internal research unit. It gave me exactly what I needed, at the level I’d expect from a senior competition counsel.’
This is why we built Evatt AI — not to impress, but to inform. Not to ‘generate content,’ but to build legal arguments that win.
