Criminal Law Library Blog
Legal citators are crucial tools in legal research, ensuring that legal professionals can verify whether cases and statutes remain valid and authoritative. Traditionally, this market has been dominated by Shepard’s from LexisNexis and KeyCite from Westlaw, with Bloomberg Law also offering a citator called BCite. Recently, the introduction of AI-powered citators, such as vLex’s Cert and Paxton AI’s Citator, marks a significant advancement in this field. This introduction explores these new AI citators, comparing and contrasting them with traditional ones.
TRADITIONAL LEGAL RESEARCH CITATORS:
- Shepard’s (LexisNexis)
Overview: Shepard’s is a well-established citator tool that helps legal researchers track the history and treatment of cases and statutes. It provides comprehensive reports on how cases have been cited by later decisions.
Features:
– Shepard’s Signals for quick case status assessment.
– Comprehensive treatment analysis (e.g., followed, distinguished, overruled).
– Integration with LexisNexis’s extensive legal database.
- KeyCite (Westlaw)
Overview: KeyCite is Westlaw’s citator service, offering similar functionalities to Shepard’s but within the Westlaw ecosystem.
Features:
– KeyCite Flags for quick status indicators.
– Detailed citation reports and history.
– Seamless integration with Westlaw’s research tools and databases.
- BCite (Bloomberg Law)
Overview: BCite is Bloomberg Law’s citator, providing citation analysis and history tracking within Bloomberg’s legal research platform.
Features:
– Citation analysis for case validity.
– Integration with Bloomberg’s legal and business resources.
– Visual indicators for quick case assessment.
NEW AI-POWERED LEGAL RESEARCH CITATORS:
Overview: Paxton AI, known for its AI tools in contract review, document drafting, and legal research, recently launched its AI citator, claiming to address the limitations of traditional citators.
Features:
– AI-driven citation analysis to minimize human error and oversight.
– Advanced natural language processing (NLP) for contextual understanding of citations.
– Integration with Paxton’s broader AI legal tools, enhancing research efficiency.
– Promises to overcome the failings and limitations of traditional citators by leveraging AI capabilities.
Overview: vLex, a global legal research platform, developed Cert, an AI-powered citator, now integrated into its new vLex-Fastcase platform.
Features:
– AI-enhanced citation analysis for more accurate and comprehensive results.
– Seamless integration with the vLex-Fastcase platform, offering extensive legal databases.
– Aimed at providing faster and more reliable legal research, already rolled out in several jurisdictions.
COMPARISON AND CONTRAST:
Accuracy and Reliability:
Traditional Citators: Shepard’s and KeyCite have long been considered the gold standard due to their extensive databases and established methodologies. However, they rely heavily on traditional updates and may occasionally miss subtle nuances in case law changes.
AI Citators: Both Paxton AI and Cert promise improved accuracy by leveraging AI to analyze vast amounts of data and identify relevant citations more effectively. They aim to reduce human error and provide more timely updates.
“ Leveraging artificial intelligence, the Paxton AI Citator addresses the limitations of traditional citators. Evaluated against the Stanford Casehold dataset of 2,400 examples testing whether a case was overturned or upheld, our citator achieved a remarkable 94% accuracy rate (Stanford Casehold Benchmark).Jul 10, 2024.”
Speed and Efficiency
– Traditional Citators: While comprehensive, traditional citators can be slower in updating and may require more manual effort from researchers.
– AI Citators: AI-powered citators like Paxton AI and Cert are designed to offer faster and more efficient citation analysis, automating many aspects of the process and providing quicker results.
Integration:
– Traditional Citators: Shepard’s integrates seamlessly with LexisNexis, and KeyCite with Westlaw, both offering robust research ecosystems. BCite offers similar integration within Bloomberg Law.
– AI Citators: Paxton AI and Cert integrate within their respective platforms (Paxton AI’s suite of tools and vLex-Fastcase), potentially enhancing the overall research experience through AI-driven insights and broader functionalities.
ADDITIONAL REFERENCES;
New Citators from Vlex and Paxton Underscore that they are the Holy Grail for Research Companies.
AI Driven Legal Research and Tools.
Legal Research Meets Generative AI.
Can AI Bring Both Speed and Accuracy?
Generative AI in Legal Research, Education and and Practice.
AI on Trial: Legal Models Hallucinate in 1 (or More) Benchmarking Queries.
CONCLUSION:
The introduction of AI citators like Paxton AI and Cert marks a significant evolution in legal research tools. By addressing the limitations of traditional citators, these AI-powered solutions promise improved accuracy, efficiency, and integration, making them valuable additions to the legal research landscape. As the legal profession continues to embrace AI, the competition between traditional and AI citators will likely drive further innovations and improvements in legal research methodologies.