Use cases

Check that each citation in an AI draft backs its claim

Reads each claim in an AI-drafted memo against the source it cites: supports, contradicts or silent, and quotes used out of context. A lawyer signs off.

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Example · Contract memo: a 30-day termination right quoted without its condition

Citation as written in the draft: Software Services Agreement with Vantry Systems Ltd dated 3 March 2025, clause 14.3

Sentence or passage in the draft that relies on the citation: Brackwater can end the Vantry agreement at any time by giving 30 days' written notice, so there is no need to wait for the renewal date before moving the stores to a new till software provider.

Words the draft quotes from the source (empty if none): may terminate this Agreement on thirty (30) days' written notice

Text of the cited clause, section or paragraph and the text around it

SOFTWARE SERVICES AGREEMENT between Brackwater Retail Ltd (the Customer) and Vantry Systems Ltd (the Supplier) 14. TERM AND TERMINATION 14.1 This Agreement starts on the Effective Date and continues for an initial term of thirty-six (36) months (the Initial Term). It then renews automatically for successive periods of twelve (12) months (each a Renewal Term) unless either party gives the other at least ninety (90) days' written notice before the end of the Initial Term or the current Renewal Term. 14.2 The Customer may terminate this Agreement for convenience on ninety (90) days' written notice to the Supplier, provided that no such notice may expire before the end of the Initial Term. On termination under this clause 14.2 the Customer shall pay the Supplier the Early Exit Fee set out in Schedule 4. 14.3 Without affecting any other right or remedy available to it, the Customer may terminate this Agreement on thirty (30) days' written notice to the Supplier if the Supplier commits a material breach of this Agreement and (if that breach is remediable) fails to remedy it within that notice period. 14.4 Without affecting any other right or remedy available to it, the Supplier may terminate this Agreement on thirty (30) days' written notice to the Customer if the Customer fails to pay any undisputed amount due under this Agreement within thirty (30) days of the due date and fails to pay it within that notice period. 14.5 Either party may terminate this Agreement with immediate effect by written notice to the other if the other party suspends payment of its debts, has an administrator or liquidator appointed, or ceases to carry on business. 14.6 A failure to meet the Service Levels in Schedule 2 is a material breach for the purposes of clause 14.3 only if it is a Persistent Service Failure as defined in Schedule 2. 14.7 On termination for any reason, the Supplier shall provide the Exit Assistance described in Schedule 5 for up to six (6) months at the rates set out in Schedule 4.
  1. Is the source text readable and complete enough to check the claim against?Yes98%
  2. How does the cited source relate to the claim it is cited for?Contradicts98%
  3. Does the claim say more than the cited source does?Yes97%
  4. Is the cited source about a different party, product or jurisdiction from the one the claim applies it to?No93%
  5. Do the quoted words mean the same in the source as the draft uses them to mean?Out of context96%
  6. Whose words or view does the cited passage give?The rule itself100%
  7. What should the author do with this citation before the memo goes to a lawyer?Narrow the claim74%

These are real answers stored from one run on this example.

The prism behind it

Check that each citation in an AI draft backs its claim7 questions

Fields

  • Citation as written in the draft
  • Sentence or passage in the draft that relies on the citation
  • Words the draft quotes from the source (empty if none)
  • Text of the cited clause, section or paragraph and the text around it

Context

Citation checks for memos and advice notes that the legal team of Brackwater Retail, a UK retailer, drafts with an AI assistant. The memos are about the company's contracts, its policies and the law that applies to them. Before a memo goes to a lawyer for sign-off, code splits it into claims, each with the citation it relies on, confirms that any quoted words appear word for word in the cited source, and fetches the cited clause, section or paragraph with the text around it. A quote that code cannot find word for word is flagged by code and never reaches this check. This check reads one claim at a time against the source text code supplies. It does not look for other sources and does not say whether the law or the contract is right. The lawyer who signs off the memo decides what it says. A citation backs its claim only when the source says what the claim says it says, for the same party, product and jurisdiction, with the same conditions and exceptions. A claim may shorten or paraphrase the source. It must not drop a condition or exception, turn a permission into a duty or the reverse, or state as general what the source says for a narrower case. Some sources are the text of an agreement, statute or rule; others report the arguments of parties, dissenting views or commentary, which do not state the rule themselves.

Questions

  1. Is the source text readable and complete enough to check the claim against? Yes / No

    Read the citation and the source text. Yes: The source text is readable and contains the clause, section or paragraph the citation points to, with enough of the text around it to see its conditions and exceptions. No: The source text is empty, an error or index page, garbled, or cut off before the part the citation points to.

  2. How does the cited source relate to the claim it is cited for? Choice

    Read the claim, then the source text. Judge what the source says on the claim's point, taking in any condition or exception attached to it elsewhere in the source text. Whether the claim goes further than the source is asked separately. Pick one option.

    • Supports The source says what the claim says, for the same case. A fair paraphrase or a shorter version counts.
    • Contradicts The source says the opposite of the claim, or gives a different rule, period, amount, condition or party for the same point, so relying on it would mislead.
    • Says nothing on the point The source does not address the claim's point, though it may use some of the same words.

  3. Does the claim say more than the cited source does? Yes / No

    Compare the claim with what the source says on the same point. Yes: The claim drops a condition, exception, limit or qualifier the source attaches, turns a permission into a duty or the reverse, or states as general or certain what the source states for a narrower case or as possible. No: The claim stays within what the source says, or the source does not address the claim's point at all.

  4. Is the cited source about a different party, product or jurisdiction from the one the claim applies it to? Yes / No

    Compare who and what the source text is about with who and what the claim is about. Yes: The source is about another party, such as the supplier where the claim is about the customer, another agreement, product, service or kind of customer, or another country's law, and the claim applies it to its own subject. No: The source is about the same party, product and jurisdiction as the claim.

  5. Do the quoted words mean the same in the source as the draft uses them to mean? Choice

    Read the quote in the draft, then find the same words in the source text and read what comes before and after them.

    • Used fairly The quoted words carry the same meaning in the source as the draft gives them.
    • Out of context The words appear in the source, but the text around them changes their meaning: a condition or exception attached to them, another party's right, a party's argument or a rejected view, or a different case.
    • No quote The draft quotes no words from the source.

  6. Whose words or view does the cited passage give? Choice

    Read the part of the source text the citation points to. Pick what kind of text it is, not whether it supports the claim.

    • The rule itself The operative words of an agreement, statute or rule, or a court's own reasoning and decision.
    • A party's argument What one party argued, submitted or wanted, as reported by the source, which the source itself does not adopt.
    • A dissent or rejected view A dissenting or minority view, or a view the source goes on to reject or distinguish.
    • Heading or commentary A heading, headnote, summary, footnote, drafting note or other commentary rather than the text itself.

  7. What should the author do with this citation before the memo goes to a lawyer? Choice

    Judge the claim, the quote and the source together. The answer is a suggestion for the author; the lawyer who signs off decides. If more than one option fits, choose the one lowest in the list.

    • Keep as written The source backs the claim as written, for the same subject, and any quote is used fairly.
    • Narrow the claim The source backs a narrower claim: the author adds the condition or exception, or softens the wording, to match the source.
    • Rewrite or drop the point The source contradicts the claim, says nothing on it, or is about a different subject: the author rewrites the claim from the source, finds another source, or drops the point.
    • Read the source itself The source text is missing, unreadable or cut off, so a person reads the cited source before the claim is used.

Lens columns

enough_to_judge, enough_to_judge_probability, source_relation, source_relation_probability, claim_goes_further, claim_goes_further_probability, different_subject, different_subject_probability, quote_use, quote_use_probability, passage_voice, passage_voice_probability, suggested_step, suggested_step_probability

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