• VERIFIED
  • SOURCE
  • FLAGGED
  • HUMAN

How to validate legal citations with your AI

Connect OpenLaws to your AI client to cross-reference case law and pull primary sources instantly.

Ask AI about this page

Short answer

How can I use AI to check my legal citations?

Your AI uses OpenLaws to verify that every citation in your draft points to a real, existing case or statute. It then finds the original government documents so you can confirm the text is exact. You'll get a list of verified sources and a flag for any broken or incorrect citations.

The results of your check.

Where every citation lands.

The AI sorts its findings into these four categories.

VERIFIED

Confirmed citations

The AI checks citations against government records. You get a list of citations that are actually correct.

SOURCE

Original documents

The AI pulls the primary government source for every case mentioned. You get direct access to the official text.

FLAGGED

Error detection

The AI identifies typos or non-existent cases. You get a warning for anything that doesn't match official records.

HUMAN

Manual review

The AI highlights discrepancies for you to inspect. You decide how to fix the text based on the source files provided.

The workflow

What your AI does when the citation arrives.

The AI handles the heavy lifting of searching government databases so you don't have to hunt for case files.

  1. Scan citations

    The AI reads through your document to find every legal citation that needs checking.

    validate_citation

  2. Cross-reference records

    The AI compares your citations against official government databases to ensure they are accurate.

    validate_citation

  3. Locate sources

    The AI finds the exact government source documents that correspond to the validated citations.

    validate_citation

  4. Report errors

    The AI flags any citations that are incorrect or missing from the official record.

    validate_citation

Try it

Copy these to start.

Use these prompts to begin the validation process.

Starting points

Replace the bracketed text with your specific file or case details.

OpenLaws Connector

You're all set. Choose your MCP client and follow the setup instructions.

Connector linkhttps://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_9lJiAbUmMMfe0J30gi6K1hWuX9NA2fO2s1RmCda0/mcp

Claude Desktop

Follow the steps below to connect in seconds.

  1. 1In Claude Desktop, open Settings → Connectors.
  2. 2Click “Add custom connector” and paste the connector link above as the remote MCP server URL.
  3. 3Click Add and start a new chat — OpenLaws capabilities are ready to use.
Configuration · claude_desktop_config.jsonCopy
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openlaws-mcp": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_9lJiAbUmMMfe0J30gi6K1hWuX9NA2fO2s1RmCda0/mcp"
    }
  }
}
Copy into chat04

  • Validate the citations in this draft: [paste text or file name]

  • Check the citations in my brief and find the original government sources for them.

  • Are there any incorrect or non-existent citations in this legal memo?

  • Find the official source documents for the citations used in this case file.

  • Claude
  • ChatGPT
  • Cursor
  • VS Code
  • Windsurf
  • Claude Code
  • JetBrains
  • Cline

Start here

Connect OpenLaws once, then ask.

One connection links OpenLaws to your AI client. Your credentials stay encrypted and secure, and you can start validating immediately.

Connect OpenLaws to your AI

FAQ

How the validation behaves

  • 01

    Can the AI fix my typos in the brief?

    No. The AI identifies errors and provides the correct source information, but you must manually update your document.

  • 02

    Does the AI have access to all legal databases?

    The AI accesses the specific government sources provided through the OpenLaws tool to verify citations.

  • 03

    Will the AI delete any of my original work?

    No. The AI only reads your text to perform the validation; it cannot modify or delete your files.

  • 04

    How does it handle citations that don't exist?

    The AI flags them as invalid and informs you that no matching record was found in the official source.

  • 05

    Can I use this with any AI client?

    Yes, you can use this with any MCP-compatible client like Claude, Cursor, or Windsurf.

  • More questions about OpenLaws? The Connector page answers them. See everything the OpenLaws Connector can do

Connect OpenLaws to Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT & more