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CaseSharp

AI rules and integrity

Can you use CaseSharp in your unit?

Your unit outline decides, not us. Pick what it says about AI to see what to do next.

  • No generative AI

    in the citation check, case search or case pages

    One exception. AI chat uses generative AI. It is off for free accounts and for every account opened from 13 October 2026. Only people already paying for a plan on an older account can still use it.

  • Nothing written for you

    The check doesn't write, rewrite or change your work

  • You confirm each case

    A match is about our records. Reading the case is yours

See the feature table

Last reviewed 13 October 2026. Next review by 13 November 2026, or sooner if a feature changes.

What does your unit outline say about AI?

Pick the closest match for the assessment you're working on.

Your unit's rule on AI

Find out first. Until you know, treat it as no AI.

The rule can differ between assessments in the same unit, so check the one you're working on.

  1. Open your unit outline and find the assessment. Look for “AI”, “generative”, “tools” or “assistance”.
  2. Still unclear? Ask your convenor or tutor. Asking is normal, and it isn't an admission of anything.

Copy a message to your convenor

Your unit outline decides, not CaseSharp.

Generative AI, feature by feature

Everything on the free plan works without generative AI. The generative features are switched off, with one exception: AI chat, for people already paying for a plan on an account opened before 13 October 2026.

Which CaseSharp features use generative AI, and who can use them
FeatureGenerative AIWho can use it
What you can use
Guest checkChecks up to 10 footnotes you paste, without an account. Nothing is stored.NoNo generative AIAnyone
Citation check (beta)Checks the case citations in a draft you paste or upload: Word (.docx) footnotes and endnotes, a text PDF or a .txt file.NoNo generative AIFree accounts, 3 drafts a month
Case searchFinds a case by its name or citation. A search by name can use machine learning to put the closest records first.NoNo generative AIAnyone
Case pagesShow a case's details, with links to read the judgment on the court's site, AustLII or JADE.NoNo generative AIAnyone
Disclosure noteDrafts a note describing your check from a fixed template, for you to edit.NoNo generative AIFree accounts
Switched off
AI assist in the checkUsed generative AI to read unclear citation text.YesUses generative AINo one. Switched off
AI explanations of a caseGenerated summaries and explanations on case pages.YesUses generative AINo one. Switched off
AI brief draftingGenerated a draft case brief.YesUses generative AINo one. Switched off
AI chatA generative AI chat about cases.YesUses generative AIOnly paid subscribers whose accounts were created before 13 October 2026

What counts as generative AI here

A tool that writes new text, images or sound. The citation check doesn't: it matches facts, such as a case's name, year, report and court, against our records.

One step uses machine learning that isn't generative. When you search by a case name, or a footnote names a case, a search-ranking service can put the closest records first. It writes nothing. If your unit bans all AI tools, mention it when you ask.

Take this table to your convenor or tutor.

What the check doesn't check

It checks that each case citation agrees with our record of the case. Everything else is still yours to check, as your law school expects.

What it does check

Each case citation, against our record of that case. Every citation gets one of three results.

Matches our record
The case name, year, report and court agree with our record of the case.
Differs from our record
The same case, but a detail differs, such as the year or the page. You see both side by side, and you decide.
Not in our records
We don't hold it, which doesn't make it wrong. You get links to search AustLII and JADE.

Still yours to check

  • Whether the case supports your point

    A match means your citation agrees with our record of the case. What the case decides is yours to read.

  • Whether it is still good law

    Check how later courts treated it with a citator in your library's databases.

  • Pinpoints and quotations

    It doesn't check the page or paragraph you cite, or the words you quote. Compare them with the judgment.

  • Judges' names

    It doesn't check which judge said what.

  • Legislation, articles and books

    Only case citations are checked for now.

  • AGLC4 form

    Any draft footnote it suggests is for you to check against the AGLC4 rules.

  • Whether the writing is yours

    It isn't an AI detector or a plagiarism checker. It reads the citations in your work, not your writing.

UQ Law asks students to “independently verify all legal authorities, legislation, cases, quotations, and references”.
UQ Law School, Use of AI by Students in Law (v1.0, approved 20 February 2026). Your school's policy may differ.

Courts expect the same

Since February 2025, NSW Supreme Court Practice Note SC Gen 23 has required anyone who uses generative AI to prepare written submissions to check that each citation exists, is accurate and is relevant, and not to rely on a generative AI tool alone to do it.

What CaseSharp holds, court by court

Ask your convenor

If the rule is unclear, says no AI, or lists tasks without naming this one, ask before you use the check. This message says what it does in two sentences and links back here.

A message to your convenor or tutor

Send it by email or through your unit's discussion board.

SubjectChecking my case citations for [assessment]

Hi [name],

May I use CaseSharp's citation check (casesharp.ai) for [assessment] in [unit]? It compares the case names, years, reports and courts in my footnotes with its case records, and links me to each judgment. It uses no generative AI and doesn't write or change my work. I would still read each case and confirm each citation myself.

What it does, feature by feature: casesharp.ai/integrity

Thank you,

[your name]

Open in your email app

Edit the words in square brackets. Keep the reply: if you're ever asked how you checked your citations, it shows you asked first.

How to say you used it

If your unit allows it, say that you used CaseSharp, even though it isn't generative AI. It takes a sentence, and it leaves no doubt.

  1. Find where your unit wants it

    A first footnote, a declaration after your reference list, or a cover sheet. Your unit outline says which.

  2. Say what it did, and what it didn't

    Name the tool, what you used it for and how often, and that you read each case yourself.

  3. Keep a record

    Save the check with a free account. It keeps a dated record, and drafts a note from it for you to edit.

As your first footnote

ANU Law asks for AI declarations in the first footnote, naming the tool, the purpose and how much you used it.

I used the CaseSharp citation check (beta) [once], on [date], to compare the case citations in my footnotes with its case records. It uses no generative AI and did not write or change any part of this work. I read each case and confirmed each citation myself. All legal research, analysis and conclusions are my own.

As a declaration at the end

The University of Melbourne suggests a declaration after your reference list, under the heading “Declaration”.

Declaration

Acknowledgement of tools used: I acknowledge the use of the CaseSharp citation check (beta) (casesharp.ai) to check the case citations in my footnotes.

How the tool was used: On [date], I checked my footnotes with it. It compared each case's name, year, report and court with its records and linked me to the judgments. It uses no generative AI and did not write or change my work. I read each case and confirmed each citation myself.

Records available: [A dated record of the check is available on request.]

Edit the words in square brackets. If you copied a draft footnote from the check, or used any other tool, say that too.

Your school's rules

Each university publishes its own rules, and your unit outline sits on top of them. These are the pages we read on 13 October 2026. Rules change, so open the page itself.

Not listed? Search your university's website for “generative AI” and “assessment”, or ask your law library. What your law school gives you

Questions

Will my university know I used CaseSharp?

Not from us. We never tell your university, your lecturers or anyone else that you used CaseSharp, and CaseSharp has no partnerships with any university. Whether you declare it is up to your unit's rules, and we suggest you do.

Is a citation check using AI?

Not generative AI. It matches facts, such as a case's name, year, report and court, and writes nothing for you. A search by case name can use machine learning to rank the closest records, which a strict rule may count as AI. If your unit bans all AI tools, ask first.

Does “Matches our record” mean I can cite the case?

No. It means the name, year, report and court in your citation agree with our record of the case. Whether the case supports your point, and whether it is still good law, is for you to read and decide.

What happens if I use a tool my unit doesn't allow?

Using AI or a tool that an assessment doesn't allow, or not declaring one when you must, can be treated as academic misconduct. At UNSW, for example, penalties for unauthorised or unacknowledged AI use can include a fail, a mark of zero for the course, suspension or exclusion. That is why this page says ask first.

Can I use it during an exam?

Assume you can't unless your exam instructions say you can. Secure assessments are usually done without outside tools.

Does CaseSharp check whether my work was written by AI?

No. It isn't an AI detector or a plagiarism checker. It reads only the citations in your work.

Is my draft used to train AI?

No. We never use your drafts to train AI models, and we never sell them. The privacy policy says where your draft goes, step by step.

Where your draft goes

Check 3 drafts a month, free.

No card, and no generative AI. Your unit outline still decides whether you use it.

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