The creators of the legal research platform Lexu AI demonstrated to students at the Faculty of Law of the University of Latvia how artificial intelligence can significantly facilitate the study of case law and statutory regulations, while emphasizing that it does not replace a lawyer’s professional judgment or responsibility for final conclusions.
Martiņš Odobērs, co-founder and CEO of Lexu AI, explained to students the difference between the broad concept of “artificial intelligence” and large language models (LLMs). He stressed that in legal work the decisive factor is the origin and accuracy of legal sources, not speed. In legal research, AI cannot afford to improvise; therefore, an answer such as “a conclusion cannot be drawn due to insufficient information” is more valuable to a lawyer than an unfounded assumption.
“Even if we assume that AI provides correct answers in 97% of cases, it is essential to keep in mind the remaining 3% risk of error. A single fabricated judgment or a non-existent legal provision is enough to irreversibly damage a lawyer’s professional reputation. To eliminate the possibility of hallucinations, in legal research we work exclusively with official data sources,” emphasized M. Odobērs.
From the “keyword lottery” to meaning-based search
Until now, researching case law has often been associated with a lengthy and cumbersome process based on guessing combinations of keywords and manually filtering results. Traditional search methods become ineffective when a lawyer needs to find judicial insights on the application of legal norms in cases with similar factual circumstances, but does not know the exact case number, date, or specific wording used in a court ruling.
The Lexu AI platform allows users to search court judgments not only by keywords but also by description or context—defining the situation to be researched in their own words. This makes it possible to reach the most relevant rulings faster and in a more structured way, while maintaining the principle that users can always open the original document and verify where exactly a specific finding appears in the judgment.
Students were also shown how to work dynamically with legislation in the likumi.lv portal. Lexu AI enables comparison of different versions of laws and quick identification of amendments. This is particularly useful when analyzing the evolution of legal norms and their impact on how legislation is applied in practice.
In academic work, one especially valuable feature of the platform—directly linked to reducing time spent on mechanical tasks—is the highlighting of relevant fragments in court rulings and the automatic generation of precise citations in the appropriate format. When conducting research in legal scholarship, accurate referencing of sources is a fundamental requirement and an integral component of quality work, receiving particular attention when evaluating students’ final theses.
How Lexu AI can support the study process
Legal education has now entered a new reality: today almost everyone uses AI tools, but it is crucial to understand how to use them responsibly—especially when addressing legal issues. Therefore, the goal of the Lexu AI lectures at the Faculty of Law of the University of Latvia was to help students understand professional risks and strengthen skills that are becoming more important than ever in the AI era: careful verification of sources and the ability to distinguish between a general informational “summary” and a legally grounded conclusion.
According to faculty members, one of the main benefits of integrating the platform into the study process has been the increased interest among students in searching for and analyzing court judgments. Because the process of selecting relevant information has become more convenient and faster, it is no longer perceived as a burdensome obligation but rather as an engaging part of legal research that motivates students to independently explore current case law.
At the same time, the lectures emphasized that the platform is not designed as a “digital lawyer” and does not replace critical thinking. On the contrary, it is intended to optimize the manual and time-consuming process of searching legal sources, allowing the lawyer’s natural intelligence to focus on what technology cannot replace: identifying the ratio legis (the purpose of the law) and the human factor in situations where artificial intelligence sees only large datasets and correlations.
Only official sources and responsible use of AI
The lectures also addressed risks arising from reliance on general AI tools. In legal work, it is particularly dangerous when a system provides a convincing but incorrect answer—for example, referring to a non-existent judgment or an inappropriate legal provision. The fundamental difference between Lexu AI and general-purpose AI tools is the guarantee that searches are conducted exclusively within officially verified state databases. As a result, any argument formulated with the help of Lexu AI includes appropriate justification with references to specific, verifiable court rulings and legal provisions.
“By making case law research clearer and more engaging for students, we are simultaneously teaching an understanding of the high standards of legal work. Our goal is to fundamentally improve the efficiency of legal research by providing a reliable information base. However, the advantages offered by technology do not change the core principle: the final legal assessment and personal responsibility for every prepared document and decision always remain within the competence of the professional,” said M. Odobērs.
The company also informs that further development of the platform will include the integration of international databases, including the possibility to conduct legal research using the platform’s tools within the case law of the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the European Union in the Latvian language.
About Lexu AI
Lexu AI is a specialized artificial intelligence legal research platform developed in Latvia. It is designed for working with court judgments and statutory regulations, ensuring responsible use of AI in the legal field through precise references to official data sources.
