Verification Techniques for AI‑Assisted Legal Work
Verification is not one thing—it’s a set of techniques that match the risk tier.
Verification toolkit
- Source check: confirm key facts against primary documents.
- Citation check: open every case/statute citation and verify it says what the draft claims.
- Counterexample test: ask the AI (or a human reviewer) to look for contrary authority.
- Sampling: if summarizing many documents, spot‑check a statistically meaningful sample.
- Red‑team prompt: ask “what could be wrong?” and list failure modes.
A simple “verify before you trust” flow
- Identify claims (facts, citations, numbers, deadlines, advice).
- Classify each claim as high impact or low impact.
- Verify high‑impact claims against primary sources.
- Document verification in your audit trail.
- If anything is uncertain, escalate and revise.
Common red flags
- “Perfect” answers with no sources.
- Case names that look plausible but you cannot find.
- Over‑specific numbers or dates without a citation.
- Language that sounds like legal advice when the task was support drafting.
Activity: cite‑check drill (10 minutes)
Take one AI‑assisted paragraph that includes legal authority. Open each citation and confirm:
- The citation exists.
- The proposition is accurate.
- Jurisdiction and date are correct.
Record what you found—even if it’s “all verified.”