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Addressing AI Hallucinations in Legal Practice
Legal technology startup BrentWorks Inc. has launched CiteSentinel, one of the first dedicated platforms designed specifically to detect and prevent AI hallucinations in legal citations.
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The tool scans legal documents and flags case law, statutes, and legal authorities that may be fabricated, misstated, or inaccurately referenced—before filings reach judges or regulators.
AI is transforming the legal profession by accelerating research, automating document drafting, and predicting case outcomes, significantly increasing efficiency.
Key applications include eDiscovery, contract analysis, and legal chatbots, often enabling smaller firms to compete with larger ones. However, it raises major ethical and legal challenges regarding bias, data privacy, and accountabilit
Courts Clamp Down on Fake AI Citations
Courts across jurisdictions are increasingly sanctioning lawyers who submit briefs containing invented or misleading case citations, a growing risk linked to the widespread use of generative AI tools in legal drafting.
While AI systems can generate authoritative-sounding legal text, they are also prone to confidently producing fictional precedents. CiteSentinel was built to close this verification gap, giving attorneys a fast and reliable way to confirm that every cited authority actually exists.
Restoring Trust in AI-Assisted Legal Drafting
According to Brent Britton, co-founder of BrentWorks, the platform is designed to balance speed with professional responsibility.
“The legal profession is learning, in very public ways, that AI doesn’t just make mistakes—it confidently lies. CiteSentinel restores trust by letting lawyers work quickly with AI while ensuring they only file authorities they can stand behind. It also allows them to scan opposing counsel’s filings, creating a real courtroom advantage,” Britton said.
A Risk Even for Lawyers Who Don’t Use AI
Even attorneys who do not personally rely on AI drafting tools are increasingly exposed to risk. Opposing counsel, co-counsel, contract lawyers, or paralegals may use AI without disclosure, leaving supervising attorneys responsible when fabricated citations reach the court.
Once a filing is submitted, the critical issue is no longer who drafted it, but whose name appears on it.
Scanning Any Legal Document for Accuracy
CiteSentinel allows lawyers to scan virtually any document, including:
- Their own AI-assisted drafts before filing
- Submissions from colleagues, contract attorneys, or support staff
- Opposing counsel’s briefs for strategic review
- Any document where citation accuracy carries ethical or professional consequences
By flagging questionable citations early, the tool enables lawyers to correct errors before courts, clients, or competitors identify them.
Meeting Modern Supervisory Obligations
Senior attorneys now face a supervisory question that would have seemed implausible only a few years ago: Are the cases cited in this brief real or imaginary?
Manually verifying every citation across multiple filings is impractical. CiteSentinel handles that process automatically at a fraction of the cost. In contrast, sanctions proceedings or public judicial reprimands can lead to severe reputational damage and much higher expenses.
Focused on Verification, Not Research
Unlike traditional legal research platforms designed to surface more information, CiteSentinel focuses exclusively on confirmation—ensuring that cited law is real, accurate, and properly referenced.
As AI adoption accelerates and deadlines tighten, verification has lagged behind generation. CiteSentinel directly addresses this gap, helping lawyers practice faster, more accurately, and with greater confidence.
Founders and Future Roadmap
BrentWorks was founded by Brent Britton, a veteran technology lawyer and **Massachusetts Institute of Technology-trained engineer, alongside Brent Hunter, a longtime technologist and AI pioneer.
CiteSentinel is the first in a planned series of products aimed at elevating legal practice in the age of artificial intelligence.
