Before relying on AI-generated legal research, verify every material claim against the underlying legal authority, confirm that the authority applies to the jurisdiction and is still current, and check the rules for the court and filing. Treat an AI answer as a set of leads—not as proof of what the law says. The exact duties depend on your jurisdiction, role, court, and matter.
Start by defining the legal question
Write down the precise issue, relevant jurisdiction, procedural posture, and the date that matters. Then compare the AI response with that question: a fluent answer may quietly broaden the issue, assume facts you did not provide, or answer under the wrong jurisdiction. Do not carry those assumptions into advice or a filing without checking them.
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Use this verification workflow
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Break the answer into checkable claims
Separate legal propositions, factual statements, quotations, citations, and recommendations. Prioritize anything that could affect advice, a filing, a deadline, or a client decision. A polished paragraph can contain a mix of correct and incorrect details.
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Find each authority independently
Search for every case, statute, regulation, or other authority in an authoritative court or government source, or a trusted legal research service. Confirm that the source exists and that its title, citation, issuing court or body, and date match. If you cannot locate an authority independently, treat it as unverified; a model’s assurance is not a substitute for the source.
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Read the text and test what it supports
Check quotations word for word, confirm the pinpoint reference, and read the relevant passage in context. Ask whether the authority actually supports the proposition attributed to it, including any limits, exceptions, or qualifications. A working link does not prove that the citation details or the AI’s summary are accurate.
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Check jurisdiction, legal force, and later history
Identify where the authority comes from and whether it is binding or merely persuasive for the matter. Check whether it has been amended, superseded, vacated, limited, or otherwise affected by later developments. Use the citator and currency-checking method appropriate to the jurisdiction; there is no single workflow established here for every legal system.
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Look for contrary authority and missing qualifications
Search for contrary decisions, amendments, exceptions, limiting language, and facts that distinguish the authority. This step is part of legal analysis, not just proofreading: confirming that a citation exists does not establish that the AI’s conclusion is complete or sound.
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Check the court’s rules before filing
Review the rules and orders that apply to the actual court, judge, and filing, including any requirements about AI use, disclosure, certification, or other procedural steps. Requirements vary. Guidance for one court or jurisdiction should not be treated as a universal rule.
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Protect confidential and privileged information
Before entering matter details or uploading documents, check the tool’s terms and safeguards: how prompts and files may be accessed, stored, retained, or used. Follow applicable professional duties, client instructions, engagement terms, and organizational policy. Minimize identifying details where possible. The State Bar of Arizona cautions against entering confidential client information without adequate safeguards; the Bar Council of England and Wales similarly warns barristers not to share legally privileged or confidential information with LLM systems.
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Keep a record of material checks
Retain the verified sources and notes showing what you checked for important propositions and submissions. This is a practical recordkeeping measure, not a universal requirement established by the guidance cited here.
Know the errors that can hide in plausible answers
Professional guidance and legal commentary identify recurring problems: cases that do not exist, misquoted language, legal principles attributed to decisions that do not contain them, incorrect claims about whether a case is binding, and authorities assigned to the wrong jurisdiction. In one discussed example, a source link was real while the generated citation details were still wrong. That is why checking only whether a link opens—or whether a citation looks professionally formatted—is not enough.
The State Bar of Arizona says, “All generative AI-generated content must be independently verified for accuracy and bias.” Its guidance describes verification as active legal analysis and validation, not merely spotting obvious errors. The Florida Bar’s Opinion 24-1 likewise says lawyers must verify the accuracy and sufficiency of AI research and remain responsible for their work product.
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Check the rules and duties that govern your situation
The ABA and state bar materials discussed here concern professional obligations in the United States. The Bar Council guidance concerns barristers in England and Wales. They support a general risk-control approach, but they do not establish the precise duties of every reader or profession. Check your own regulator’s guidance, applicable court rules and orders, client terms, and workplace policies. Do not assume that every court requires AI disclosure or that AI use is categorically prohibited.
For legal professionals, AI assistance does not transfer responsibility for submitted or signed work. The ABA’s Formal Opinion 512 announcement describes ethics issues that include competence, confidentiality, communication, and fees; the details of any obligation depend on the applicable rules and circumstances. A citation manual can help with citation form where the relevant court accepts that system, but it cannot establish that an authority exists, remains good law, or supports an argument. Cornell’s Legal Information Institute notes that citation requirements can differ among courts, associations, and universities. Massachusetts lists The Bluebook, 22nd edition (2025), among print legal-writing and citation resources; it is a US citation reference, not a substitute for court-specific rules.
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