LexisNexis Canada is outlining how agentic AI could help lawyers manage complex legal research, with software carrying an assignment through multiple steps while lawyers retain responsibility for the analysis.
In a blog post last week, the company describes a workflow built around a defined research objective. An AI system can pursue related questions, revisit authorities and adjust searches as new information emerges, reducing the need for lawyers to initiate every step.
The approach depends on a clear assignment. Lawyers should specify the jurisdiction, relevant facts, dates, exclusions and expected deliverable so the research stays within scope.
LexisNexis suggests the greatest value lies in assignments involving interconnected issues. Finding a known case or statutory provision may still require only a direct search.
The company also emphasizes that accurate citations alone do not make research reliable. Review must consider binding and persuasive authority, subsequent treatment, contrary decisions, factual differences and potential gaps in coverage.
For Canadian practitioners, the proposed benefit is less manual coordination and a more developed foundation for review. Determining whether that foundation supports a legal conclusion remains the lawyer’s job.
Read the full LexisNexis Canada post for its research and verification guidance.