Case citation checking in Microsoft Word: US, UK and Canada

AI drafting tools can cite cases that do not exist. LexDraft, an AI add-in for Microsoft Word, checks the case citations in its own answers against public case-law sources for three jurisdictions and links to the decision, so you can confirm a cited case is real before you rely on it.

What LexDraft checks, by jurisdiction

Citations from other countries, such as Australia or New Zealand, are shown as "Not checked" for now. UK judgments in LexDraft come from The National Archives' Find Case Law service, which only partially represents the activities of the courts and tribunals. Not every judgment or decision is included.

How it works in Word

1. Ask LexDraft in the Assistant pane, with the jurisdiction chip set to the law you work in.
2. Open the answer's references. A "References" button under the answer opens a card for each cited case.
3. Each citation is checked against the source for its format. The card shows "Citation matched", "Multiple matches", "No match found", "Reporter not recognized", "Could not check" or "Not checked".
4. Open the decision from a matched card and read the passage you rely on.

The checks run on citations in LexDraft's answers, not on citations already typed in your document. For US and UK law you can also look a case up yourself in the Case law tab, by citation, case name or keywords. The Free plan includes 5 case-law lookups a month, shared between US and UK searches.

What a check can and cannot tell you

• It can tell you that a citation points to a real decision at the source, or that no decision was found.
• It cannot tell you that the decision says what the answer claims, that a quotation is accurate, or that the case is still good law. Read the decision and check its later treatment.
• It does not check formatting. Bluebook, OSCOLA and McGill Guide style are not checked.
• Sources are incomplete. No public source holds every decision, so "No match found" means "check this", not "this case does not exist".

LexDraft is an independent product. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Free Law Project, The National Archives, CanLII or any court.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. LexDraft does not give legal advice; qualified counsel must review every draft and verify every authority. LexDraft is not affiliated with or endorsed by Free Law Project, The National Archives, CanLII or any court. Spotted something out of date? Email support@lexdraft.ai and we will fix it.