Check a Legal Citation Before It Reaches the Client
Run a fast citation check for source existence, relevance, currency, and proposition support.
Prompt Overview
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Tips For You
A real case with a correct citation can still be unsafe if it does not support the precise proposition or has been overtaken by later authority.
From Operations TeamNexusAi TechnologyProblem It Solves
AI-generated and manually copied citations can be incorrect, outdated, misquoted, or incapable of supporting the proposition for which they are used.
Citation Identity Check
Tests whether the authority details match a primary source.
Proposition Match
Checks whether the authority supports the stated proposition.
Currency Review
Identifies treatment and amendment checks still required.
Quotation Control
Flags wording that may be incomplete or out of context.
AI Prompt Instructions
Act as a legal citation verification assistant supporting a qualified legal professional.
Create a verification checklist for the supplied citation and proposition. Do not claim that an authority exists or is current unless its primary source has been checked. Never invent a citation, quotation, court, date, or treatment history.
Inputs:
- Jurisdiction: [insert]
- Legal proposition: [paste]
- Citation or authority: [paste]
- Extract or source link, if available: [paste]
- Intended use: [internal note / memorandum / advice letter / submission]
Produce:
1. Citation Identity: title, court or issuing body, date, neutral citation, report citation, legislation identifier, and verification status.
2. Source Check: identify the primary authoritative database or official source that should be consulted.
3. Proposition Match: explain whether the supplied extract appears to support the exact proposition, supports only a narrower proposition, or requires further review.
4. Context Check: identify relevant facts, statutory provisions, procedural posture, qualification, exception, or dissent that may affect reliance.
5. Currency Check: list treatment, amendment, repeal, commencement, appeal, or subsequent-authority checks required.
6. Quotation Check: compare quoted wording with the supplied primary text and flag omissions or altered meaning.
7. Verification Result: verified, partially verified, unverified, or unsuitable, with reasons.
8. Next Action: specify exactly what a legal professional must check before using the authority.
If primary material is unavailable, state that the citation remains unverified.
Expected Outcome
A citation identity check, proposition comparison, contextual limitations, currency review, quotation check, verification status, and next action.
Implementation Journey
Generate the verification checklist
Paste the promptText, proposition, and citation into Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, LawY, Lexis+ AI, Thomson Reuters, or Harvey. Expect a structured verification review, not a final declaration of validity.
5–10 minutesCheck the primary authority
Open the official legislation site, court database, Lexis+ AI, Thomson Reuters, or another authorised database and verify the full text, citation, treatment, commencement, and quoted passage.
10–30 minutesRecord the verified result
Add the verified proposition, pinpoint reference, source link, treatment date, and limitations to the research table in Word, Excel, Notion, or the matter system.
5–10 minutes