Legal Research and Writing - Legal Research and AI

AI in the practice of law

Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing how lawyers work. Instead of spending hours on repetitive tasks like document review or first‑draft research, lawyers can now use AI tools to scan huge databases, draft memos, or suggest contract language in seconds. This doesn’t mean lawyers are being replaced. It means their work is shifting: less time on routine tasks, more time on strategy, advocacy, and client advice.

There are several types of AI being used in law firms:

Large Language Models (LLMs)

LLMs, such as Claude or OpenAI's GPT 5, are trained on massive bodies of text to understand and generate human like language. In law, they are used for drafting memos, summarizing case law, generating first draft contracts, and answering complex legal queries in plain language. For example, a Canadian firm might use an LLM to produce a first draft of a shareholder agreement, that a lawyer then reviews for accuracy and compliance with provincial statutes. The strength of LLMs is in their speed and fluency, but they require human oversight to avoid “hallucinations” (fabricated facts or citations), which can be a problem especially for self-represented litigants (SLRs), with there being many examples in Canada of SLRs (and lawyers too) being caught submitting hallucinated case law to the court (discussed below).

Generative AI (Gen AI)

Gen AI refers to systems that create new content — text, images, code, or even structured data — based on learned patterns. In legal practice, text based generative AI can produce tailored client letters, litigation pleadings, or discovery summaries. For example, Harvey AI can integrate with internal firm knowledge bases to generate legal arguments or due diligence reports, drawing on both public law and internal precedents.

Machine Learning (ML) for Predictive Analytics

ML models identify patterns in historical data to make predictions about future outcomes. In litigation, predictive analytics can forecast case outcomes, likely settlement ranges, or judicial tendencies based on past rulings. For example, Blue J Legal’s tax and employment law tools use ML to predict how courts or tribunals might decide based on fact patterns, helping lawyers advise clients on litigation risk. ML models can also be applied in compliance monitoring, such as flagging transactions or contracts that deviate from regulatory norms.

Natural Language Processing (NLP)

NLP focuses on enabling computers to understand, interpret, and manipulate human language. In law, NLP powers advanced search in legal research databases, clause extraction in contract review, and automated classification of discovery documents. For example, an e-discovery platform might use NLP to identify all documents mentioning a specific legal concept, even if synonyms or industry jargon are used.

Expert Systems and Rule Based AI

Expert systems encode legal rules and decision trees to provide consistent outputs for defined fact patterns and are often used in compliance checklists, eligibility assessments, and automated form generation. For example, a provincial legal aid portal might use a rule based AI to determine whether a user qualifies for assistance based on income, family size, and case type.

Speech Recognition and Voice AI

Many AI tools are good at translation and can also convert spoken language into text and provide real time transcription and analysis. This technology can be used in depositions, hearings, and client interviews to produce searchable transcripts.

Here are several AI tools being used in Canadian law firms:

Blue J Legal: Blue J Legal is a Canadian legal technology company that applies artificial intelligence to analyze case law and predict legal outcomes, primarily in tax and employment law contexts.

CoCounsel (Thomson Reuters): This product is expected to use AI to assist legal research by leveraging content on Westlaw. It also has the ability to analyze and summarize lengthy documents (such as discovery or trial transcripts).

DraftWise: DraftWise is a legal drafting platform that uses artificial intelligence to help lawyers access and apply precedent language from their firm’s document repository directly within Microsoft Word.

Lexis+ Canada AI: As part of an add-on subscription, LexisNexis will use its proprietary AI to search content on Lexis+ Canada.

Harvey AI: Harvey AI is a large language model that can analyze contracts, review and analyze large volumes of documents quickly, predicting case outcomes and ensuring that legal documents comply with relevant regulations and standards. In addition to performing legal research, it can assist in drafting legal documents and works in multiple language.

Microsoft Copilot: Although Microsoft Copilot is not focused specifically focused on lawyers, most law firm use Microsoft products. Although there is a free version of Microsoft Copilot included with most web browsers, a licensed version is embedded into Microsoft products such as Microsoft Word or Teams that can help to generate draft contracts, legal briefs based on input and templates; conduct legal research and summarize concepts and principles; record client meetings on Teams and provide transcripts and summarize “action items” after the meeting; convert content in a Word document into a PowerPoint slide show in seconds; rewrite text into plain English; and evaluate potential risks in documents or scenarios, providing a comprehensive analysis.

Ethics and regulation are now catching up. Canadian courts and law societies have started issuing rules and guidance on how lawyers can safely use AI. Some courts now require lawyers to certify that their citations are authentic, after cases where AI tools produced fake authorities. For a useful online database of links to close to 500 court decisions from around the world where lawyers or self-represented litigants were found to have used AI-hallucinated case law in their court filings, see AI Hallucination Cases by Damien Charlotin, currently listing close to 40 decisions from Canada involving both lawyers and self-represented litigants.

AI and legal tech impacting legal research and writing

There are also several products focused specifically on legal research and writing:

BriefCatch: BriefCatch is a Word add-in aimed at lawyers that "catches" sub-optimal drafting as a spellchecker and grammar checker that, in providing suggestions on how to improve your writing, will provide examples of good writing compared to your wording by referring to court filed briefs or court judgments.

CiteRight: CiteRight is a Word and browser plug-in that can automate McGill Guide citations. It also creates a library of your citations and can create a hyperlinked book of authorities in a matter of seconds while black-lining pinpoint citations in your book of authorities.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of some recent books and reports and articles on AI and the law (links to content on commercial databases requires your own subscription/password):

Books and reports on AI and the law

Ahmad, Imran & Shreya Gupta. Legal Guide to Emerging Technologies. (Toronto: LexisNexis Canada, 2023) [bookstore].

Aidid, Abdi & Benjamin Alari. The Legal Singularity: How Artificial Intelligence Can Make Law Radically Better. (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2023) [website].

Bensoussan, Jérémy & Jean-François Henrotte. Legal Aspects of Artificial Intelligence. (Toronto: LexisNexis Canada, 2019) [bookstore].

D'Agostino|, Giuseppina et al. Leading Legal Disruption: Artificial Intelligence and a Toolkit for Lawyers and the Law. (Toronto: Thomson Reuters Canada, 2021) [bookstore].

Dobrev, Dessislav. Artificial Intelligence and the Law: A Comprehensive Guide for the Legal Profession, Academia and Society.(Toronto Thomson Reuters Canada, 2021) [bookstore].

Grinhaus, Aaron. A Practical Guide to Web3, Blockchain, and Smart Contract Law, 3rd ed. (Toronto: LexisNexis Canada, 2024) [bookstore].

Heisler, Natalie & Maura Grossman. Standards for the Control of Algorithmic Bias: The Canadian Administrative Context (Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2023) [bookstore].

Martin-Bariteau, Florian. Artificial Intelligence and the Law in Canada (Toronto: LexisNexis Canada, 2021) [bookstore].

Ontario Law Commission, AI in the Civil/Administrative Justice System (various reports on the impact of AI).

Presser, Jill et al, eds. Litigating Artificial Intelligence: 2021/2022 Edition (Toronto: Emond, 2021). [bookstore].

Queen’s University Law Library, “Canadian Legal Research Manual: Generative AI and Legal Research”
Scassa, Teresa & Florian Martin-Bariteau. Artificial Intelligence and the Law in Canada. (Toronto: LexisNexis Canada, 2021) [bookstore].

Susskind, Richard. How to Think About AI: A Guide for the Perplexed (London: Oxford University Press, 2025) [bookstore].

Susskind, Richard. Tomorrow’s Lawyers: An Introduction to Your Future, 3rd ed. (London: Oxford University Press, 2023) [bookstore].

Recent, selected articles on AI and the law (any links to commercial databases below are for convenience only and will require your own password)

Steve Dickie & Tara Hristov, “Practitioner Checklist for Using Generative AI in Practice” in Eight-Minute Employment Lawyer 2025 (Toronto: LSO, 2025).

Priti Saraswat, “Coded in Bias in AI: Identifying and Addressing Challenges in Legal Knowledge Management: How Law Librarians Can Shape Fairer AI Systems” (July/August 2025) 29:6 AALL Spectrum 15.

Leland Sampson, “Generative AI & Legal Research: A Mismatch? Practical Applications of Generative AI in Legal Research” (May/June 2025) 29:5 AALL Spectrum 19.

Leigh Zeiser, “Out-of-the-Box: The Rise of Custom Configuration in the Age of Generative AI: Why the Legal Profession Needs Tailored AI Solutions” (May/June 2025) 29:5 AALL Spectrum 16.

Teresa Miguel-Stearns & Cas Laskowski, “Artificial Intelligence & the Future of Law Libraries: Bringing Together Voices and Visions to Ponder and Plan for the Future” (May/June 2025) 29:5 AALL Spectrum 12.

Paul McLaughlin, “AI and Law Librarians: Introducing the Idea of Creating a Legal Information Research Team to Prepare Students for the Practice of Law” (2025) 44:1 Legal Ref Serv Q 2.

Dominique Garingan,“Creative and Critical Engagement: An Ongoing Reflection on AI Pedagogy in Legal Practice Perspectives” (2024) 49:2 Can L Libr Rev 8.

Maura Grossman & Simon Wallace, “Generative AI and the Legal System” in 32nd Immigration Law Summit (Toronto: LSO, 2024).

Rachelle Laforge & Julie Sobowle, “AI: the Future is Now” in 18th Solo and Small Firm Conference: Evolution (Toronto: LSO, 2024).

Steven Frankel, “The Use of Generative AI in Preparing Written Submissions” in Writing a Factum in 2024: Issues & Tips (Toronto: LSO, 2024).

Alan Macek, “Generative AI—Some Legal Issues" in 13th Business Law Summit (Toronto: LSO, 2024).

Tara Raissi & Maude Goulet, "The Legal Implications of AI Hallucinations" (Apr 2024) Toronto LJ (Online) [Zhang v Chen, 2024 BCSC 285].

Uwais Iqbal, “What is Artificial Intelligence?” in Technology and Legal Practice (Toronto: LSO, 2024).
Ryan Shah, "Law Facts or Fiction? Generative AI and Legal Research" (Summer 2024) 43:1 Adv Soc J 26.

Diana Drappel, “AI Primer” in 14th In-House Counsel Summit (Toronto: LSO, 2024).

Barry Sookman, "Moffatt v Air Canda: A Misrepresentation by an AI Chatbot" (May 2024) Toronto LJ [Moffatt v. Air Canada, 2024 BCCRT 149].

Simon Wallace, "Speaking Like a Judge: Using Artificial Intelligence to Empirically Assess Judicial Speech in Supreme Court of Canada Hearings by Language Spoken and Gender of the Speaker" (2024) 115 Sup Ct L Rev (2d) 297.

Anna Wong, "Here Comes Sophia: Is Tort Law Ready for Autonomous AI"? (Spring 2024) 42:4 Adv Soc J 12.

Charles Cahillane, "Traditional Legal Education: Outdated Model of Schooling for a Modern Legal Industry That Utilizes Artificial Intelligence Technology" (2023) 17 JPPL 359.

Joshua Henderson, "Rise of the Robots: ChatGPT Comes for Lawyers" (Winter 2023) 42:3 Adv Soc J 34.

Edona Vila et al, "Artificial Intelligence as Evidence in Civil Proceedings: Practical Perspectives for Litigators" (Oct 2023) Toronto LJ (Online).

Teresa Scassa, "Regulating AI in Canada: A Critical Look at the Proposed Artificial Intelligence and Data Act" (2023) 101 Can Bar Rev 1.

Emily Groper, “Artificial Intelligence and Intellectual Property: AI-Driven Drug Discovery and the Challenges It Poses to the Canadian Patent System” (2023) 48:3 Can L Libr Rev 9.

Bradley Budden, "On the Intersection of Artificial Intelligence and Copyright Law" (2022) 47:1 Can L Libr Rev 10.

Nathaniel Lipkus et al, “Time to Talk About Ownership of AI-Generated Intellectual Property Assets” (Mar 2022) 22 Internet & E-Com L Can 132.

Dominique Garingan,“Advanced Technologies and Algorithmic Literacy: Exploring Insights from the Legal Information Profession” (2021) 46:4 Can L Libr Rev 10.

Ignacio Cofone, "AI in Judicial Decision-Making" (2021) 102 Sup Ct L Rev (2d) 21.

Emmanuelle Demers, "AI, Law and Transnational Private Governance" (2021) 2021 Ann Rev Civil Lit 225.

Carys Craig & Ian Kerr, "The Death of the AI Author" (2021) 52:1 Ottawa L Rev 31.

Sancho McCann, “Copyright Throughout a Creative AI Pipeline” (July 2021) 19 Can JL & Tech 109.

Lindsay Paquette, “Artificial Life Imitating Art Imitating Life: Copyright Ownership in AI-generated Works” (Apr 2021) 33 IPJ 183.

Laura Viselli, “Artificial Intelligence and Access to Justice: A New Frontier for Law Librarians” (2021) 46:2 Can L Libr Rev 17.

Leanee Soares, “Artificial Intelligence in Canadian Law Libraries” (2020) 45:4 Can L Libr Rev 16.

James Wagner, “Rise of the Artificial Intelligence Author” (July 2017) 75 Adv (Van) 527.

AI for Litigators (Toronto: LSO, 2021):

Edward Walters, “The Model Rules of Autonomous Conduct: Ethical Responsibilities of Lawyers and Artifcial Intelligence”

Jake Heller et al, “AI in Legal Research: How AI is Providing Everyone Access to Information and Leveling the Playing Field for Firms of All Sizes”

Benjamin Alarie, “The Path of the Law: Toward Legal Singularity”

Gerald Chan et al, “Litigating Algorithms in Criminal Law: A Defence Perspective”

Anthony Casey et al, “Self-Driving Laws; The Death of Rules and Standards; Will Robot Judges Change Litigation and Settlement Outcomes? AI for Lawyers: How Artificial Intelligence Is Adding Value, Amplifying Expertise, and Transforming Careers”