Legal Research with AI and Proper Verification
Speed up legal research with AI and verify every authority before it reaches a client or a court
A taste of a lesson
AI gave me three cases that perfectly support our argument. One I can't find anywhere. What should I do?
Treat the missing one as invented until proven otherwise, and don't cite it. Then check the other two just as carefully: find each in an authoritative source, read the passage the AI relied on, and check later treatment and jurisdiction. Perfect fit is itself a warning sign, since models generate what sounds supportive. Keep a note of what you verified and how. Which source does your organisation use for checking whether a case is still good law?
Written by the teacher as an example. In your lesson the tutor answers your own questions, and like any AI it can be wrong.
What you will be able to do
- Distinguish general chat tools from database grounded legal research tools
- Use AI to scope issues and organise research as a starting point
- Verify every authority, quote and statute with a consistent routine
- Protect client confidentiality and meet professional and court expectations
Lesson plan
- 1 How AI research tools fail Understand why fabricated and mischaracterised authorities happen in different kinds of tools. Start
- 2 Scoping and search strategy Use AI to identify issues, terms and structure before searching authoritative sources. Start
- 3 The verification routine Check every authority for existence, accuracy, treatment, jurisdiction and currency. Start
- 4 Summaries and memos Use AI to summarise retrieved materials and structure memos, then check against the text. Start
- 5 Confidentiality and professional duties Apply confidentiality, competence, candour and supervision duties to AI use. Start
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About this tutor
For solicitors, barristers, in house lawyers, trainees and law students who want to use AI in legal research responsibly. Education only, not legal advice. We look at how general chat tools differ from research tools grounded in legal databases, why both can still be wrong, and how to build a verification routine: checking every case and statute in an authoritative source, confirming it is still good law, reading the actual passage relied on, and checking jurisdiction and date. We also cover confidentiality when describing client matters, professional duties of competence and candour, and courts' and regulators' expectations, which you check for your own jurisdiction.
Reviews
4.7
3 ratingsSample
- Arjun S.Sample
Clear and practical for a trainee. I wanted more jurisdiction specific detail, but it was honest that I need to check local rules myself.
- Victoria H.Sample
The verification routine is now a checklist on my desk. The point that 'perfect fit is a warning sign' stuck with me.
- Olga N.Sample
Helped our team agree a standard for AI research. Supervising juniors' AI use was a section I didn't know I needed.
About the teacher
Ex paralegal and operations lead teaching responsible AI for law, finance, HR and client businesses
9 tutors 395 lessons taught Sample
I started as a paralegal, then moved into operations and compliance roles for professional services firms, and later helped people teams and small businesses tidy up their processes. Confidentiality, accuracy and an audit trail were part of every job I did, so that is where I start when people ask about AI. I teach lawyers, paralegals, accountants, finance teams, HR...
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