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Legal Research with AI Tools Assessment

Legal research is one of the first tasks where AI tools are genuinely faster than a junior lawyer. Legislation, case law, commentary, doctrine: in seconds an overview is produced that used to take an afternoon. The problem: one in three AI answers refers to a non-existent case, and that mistake costs more than the time saved. The Legal Research with AI Tools Assessment measures in 20 multiple-choice questions whether a candidate masters the classic research craft and deploys the new tools critically. Choosing sources, ordering case law, validating results, spotting AI hallucinations. The skill 2026 demands from every junior lawyer and KM specialist.

Time

~15 minutes

Type

Hard skills test (legal research)

Form

Multiple choice (20 questions)

Perfect for:
Trainee lawyers and junior associates, Legal researchers, Knowledge management specialists, Government and municipal legal advisers, Legal operations professionals, Lawyers in specialised research-heavy practices, Compliance officers
Trainee lawyers and junior associates, Legal researchers, Knowledge management specialists, Government and municipal legal advisers, Legal operations professionals, Lawyers in specialised research-heavy practices, Compliance officers
Contact us for a demo of this test
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Welten company logo with stylized pink and navy blue diagonal stripes.Quooker brand logo in red text.Home of HR logo with pink abstract shape above dark blue text.DPD logo with red 3D cube icon and lowercase black letters 'dpd'.Continu Professionals logo featuring blue stylized text and an abstract figure with an extended arm.Talent & pro logo with the tagline 'value in people'.Oxfam Novib logo with a green circle and stylized black figure inside.Graph illustrating the progression from an initial point to an advanced stage with steps labeled as launched and maturing, showing growth in capabilities.
Welten company logo with stylized pink and navy blue diagonal stripes.Quooker brand logo in red text.Home of HR logo with pink abstract shape above dark blue text.DPD logo with red 3D cube icon and lowercase black letters 'dpd'.Continu Professionals logo featuring blue stylized text and an abstract figure with an extended arm.Talent & pro logo with the tagline 'value in people'.Oxfam Novib logo with a green circle and stylized black figure inside.Graph illustrating the progression from an initial point to an advanced stage with steps labeled as launched and maturing, showing growth in capabilities.

3 Reasons we love this assessment

01
Choose sources, don't google
Rechtsorde, Kluwer, Legal Intelligence, EUR-Lex, doctrine. The test checks whether a candidate knows which source fits which question, and doesn't dump every search into the nearest general-purpose AI.
02
AI hallucinations in the legal context
AI happily produces cases that don't exist, articles that are invented, and commentaries by authors who never wrote them. The test measures whether a candidate spots this fabrication before it lands in an advisory memo.
03
From source list to argument
Research is not just finding, but also organising and interpreting. The test checks whether a candidate can turn a source list into a structured legal argument, instead of copying a list without synthesis.
Technical Details
Self-developed by Selection Lab.
Explore

Information

Source knowledge

Which database for which type of question: national case law, European legislation, doctrine, commentary. The foundation that many juniors learn on the job and where they lose a lot of time initially.

Search techniques and keyword choice

Boolean operators, filters by instance or year, synonyms that separate 8 from 800 results. The domain-specific version of good searching.

AI tools for lawyers

Harvey, CoCounsel, Lexis+ AI, generic models: when to deploy which, what are the risks, and how to verify output against a primary source.

Synthesis and processing

From findings to advice. How to weight sources, bring counter-arguments into view, and build a legal argument a partner can read straight through.

Measurement
Objectives

The Big Five Personality Model assesses key personality traits that influence behavior and performance:

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Source knowledge and choice

Knowing which database, series or platform fits the question.

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Search strategy

Keywords, filters, iteration. The skill of turning a question into the right query.

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AI use and verification

Deploying legal AI tools and validating their output against primary sources.

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Synthesis

From source list to coherent legal argument, with counter-arguments and clear structure.

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