How professional-grade AI supports judicial independence
Highlights
- Judges are cautious about AI, but many courts already use CoCounsel Legal.
- CoCounsel Legal relies on trusted Westlaw content and strict accuracy checks.
- It helps judges work faster without affecting their independence.
Jump to ↓
| The perception gap |
| Why judicial caution makes sense |
| What makes CoCounsel Legal different |
| Addressing the risk question directly |
| The verdict on professional-grade AI |
The perception gap
When legal AI tools first entered the market, the conversation centered on law firms and corporate legal departments. The marketing spoke to billable hours and client competitiveness. For judges reviewing these materials, the message was clear: this wasn’t built for the bench.
That perception persists today. Many judges remain cautious, viewing AI as a tool designed for advocates rather than adjudicators. They recognize potential benefits but worry about risks to judicial independence, accuracy, and decision-making integrity.
Here’s what judges need to know: CoCounsel Legal is purpose-built for legal professionals who demand the highest standards of accuracy, transparency, and accountability. That includes judges.
Why judicial caution makes sense
The skepticism about AI isn’t unfounded. When a judge issues a ruling, they are not just serving a client—they’re upholding the rule of law, establishing precedent, and affecting lives. Judges likely heard about AI hallucinations, biased outputs, and tools that generate convincing but inaccurate legal citations.
But caution doesn’t mean rejection. Courts across the US federal court system—including both district and circuit courts—have adopted CoCounsel, along with courts in 94% of US states. These judicial systems aren’t reckless early adopters. They’ve recognized that professional-grade AI, built on trusted content with proper safeguards, can enhance judicial work without compromising its integrity.
What makes CoCounsel Legal different
The fundamental difference lies in three areas: content, architecture, and accountability.
Trusted content foundation
CoCounsel Legal doesn’t generate legal analysis from the broad internet. Every research result is grounded in authoritative Westlaw and Practical Law content—the same trusted resources judges have relied on for generations. When CoCounsel Legal provides an answer, it draws from over 20 billion documents and 15+ petabytes of curated content, maintained by over 1,200 attorney editors.
Professional-grade AI architecture
CoCounsel Legal employs both generative AI and agentic AI capabilities working together under constant human-in-the-loop oversight. Our AI doesn’t operate autonomously—it works under pre-defined sequences designed by legal experts, with transparency at every step. In Standard and Standard+ reports, a separate AI agent reviews each sentence and citation to ensure accuracy before presenting results.
Enterprise security and compliance
Thomson Reuters doesn’t share data with LLM providers for model training. We maintain SOC Type 2 attestation for CoCounsel, with FedRAMP certification expected in 2026. CoCounsel, Westlaw Precision, and Westlaw Edge received ISO 42001 certification in spring 2025—the global standard for AI risk management and responsible AI practices.
Addressing the risk question directly
Risk of inaccuracy
Verification is essential when using any AI tool—and CoCounsel Legal makes this critical step easier and more seamless than any other solution on the market. CoCounsel Legal reduces inaccuracy risk by grounding all research in verified Westlaw and Practical Law content, providing citations for every answer that link directly to source material, employing verification processes where separate AI agents check initial outputs, and using human-in-the-loop oversight throughout the AI model lifecycle. What sets CoCounsel Legal apart is its integrated connection to Westlaw, enabling you to validate AI-generated results instantly without leaving your workflow. While other AI tools require manual verification through separate platforms, CoCounsel Legal’s seamless integration transforms verification from a cumbersome extra step into a natural, efficient part of your research process.
Risk to judicial independence
CoCounsel Legal doesn’t make decisions or provide legal conclusions. It helps find relevant authority, analyze complex documents, and draft routine materials more efficiently. This means a judge retains complete control over their analysis, reasoning, and conclusions.
The verdict on professional-grade AI
CoCounsel Legal meets the standards judicial work requires. Built on trusted content with transparency, verification, and professional-grade security, it’s already used by courts nationwide.
Judges should evaluate AI carefully—not reject it automatically. More than 20,000 law firms and legal departments, plus courts across the U.S. federal system, recognize that professional AI helps them work more effectively.
The question is simple: Will judges have access to a trusted AI solution that helps them manage information efficiently and support the fair administration of justice?
To learn how CoCounsel Legal can support your chambers, request a personalized demonstration focused on judicial use cases.
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