Understanding Citations & Sources

Every response from the Lawis AI Chat includes citations — direct references to the legal sources the AI used to generate its answer. This transparency is what distinguishes Lawis from generic AI tools.

Where to find citations

Citations appear at the bottom of each AI response in a collapsible Sources panel. Each citation shows:

• Document title — the name of the law, decree, or court decision
• Article or section reference — the specific provision cited
• Jurisdiction — the country and authority that issued the document
• Date — when the document was enacted or published
• Status — whether the document is currently in force

Opening the full source document

Click any citation to open the full source document in the right-hand document panel. You'll see the complete text of the law or court decision with the relevant article highlighted. This lets you verify the AI's interpretation against the original text.

How the AI uses sources

The AI does not generate answers from memory. For each message you send, the Legal Engine:

1. Searches the legal database

   Retrieves the most relevant legal documents using semantic search and knowledge graph traversal.

2. Reads the retrieved text

   Analyzes the specific articles, provisions, and passages relevant to your question.

3. Synthesizes an answer

   Constructs a response based only on what it found, citing each source inline.

Reading source metadata

Each source shows metadata that helps you assess its relevance and authority:

• Jurisdiction — confirms which country's law applies. Important when working across multiple GCC jurisdictions.
• Date — helps you identify whether a law is recent or long-standing. Older laws may have been amended or supplemented.
• Status — an In Force label means the document is currently valid law. An Abrogated label means the law has been repealed, though it may still be relevant for historical analysis or contracts signed under the old regime.