---
title: "Verify criminal-law research that came from a tool"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/practice/criminal-law/use-specialist-ai-for-criminal-law-research-with-verification/united-states"
type: "task_jurisdiction_version"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A20-B6-2-US"
practice_area: "Criminal Law"
tier: "yellow"
lawyer_review: "required"
jurisdictions: ["US"]
last_reviewed: "2026-10-22"
---

# Verify criminal-law research that came from a tool

> For each citation in the research, record whether it appears in a source the lawyer supplies. Quote the holding or the rule that source states. Flag a citation with no source. Do not add one.

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/practice/criminal-law/use-specialist-ai-for-criminal-law-research-with-verification/united-states  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Criminal Law](https://ailawframework.com/practice/criminal-law.md) |
| Human involvement | Yellow: Lawyer and AI draft together |
| How AI is used | For each citation in the research, record whether it appears in a source the lawyer supplies. Quote the holding or the rule that source states. Flag a citation with no source. Do not add one. |
| What the lawyer must review | You decide what is relied on. Comment 8 to Rule 1.1 treats technology as part of competence. Formal Opinion 512 requires you to check a citation before you rely on it. Model Rule 3.3 applies if the research is handed to a court. A citation you cannot match is not authority. This check does not confirm a guidelines calculation. The Guidelines Manual was not opened. |
| Written for | United States |
| Applies to | [Use specialist AI for criminal law research with verification](https://ailawframework.com/practice/criminal-law/use-specialist-ai-for-criminal-law-research-with-verification.md) |

## Checking plan

- What the AI does: For each citation in the research, record whether it appears in a source the lawyer supplies. Quote the holding or the rule that source states. Flag a citation with no source. Do not add one.
- Basis: Checked against the linked sources on 22 October 2026. Confirm the current instrument before reliance.

## Notes

- Do not use the research as a substitute for the statute it cites. Open the statute.
- Criminal Rule 11 is the plea rule. It is not a rule about citations.

## Sources

- [ABA Model Rule 1.1, Comment 8 (competence includes technology)](https://www.americanbar.org/groups/professional_responsibility/publications/model_rules_of_professional_conduct/rule_1_1_competence/comment_on_rule_1_1/) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [ABA Formal Opinion 512, Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools (29 July 2024)](https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/professional_responsibility/ethics-opinions/aba-formal-opinion-512.pdf) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [ABA Model Rule 3.3, Candor Toward the Tribunal](https://www.americanbar.org/groups/professional_responsibility/publications/model_rules_of_professional_conduct/rule_3_3_candor_toward_the_tribunal/) (checked 2026-10-22)

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*