AI for Lawyers A Look at the Midpage Plugin

Large Language Models like ChatGPT are transforming industries, but for legal professionals, the risk of AI "hallucinations"—where the model confidently presents fabricated information—is a major barrier. A new tool aims to solve this by making AI a reliable partner for legal research.

On a recent episode of the How It Works video series, Midpage founder Otto Zastrow demonstrated the Midpage GPT plugin, an integration designed to allow lawyers to conduct accurate and secure case law research directly within the ChatGPT interface.

The Challenge of AI Hallucinations in Legal Research

When used out of the box, ChatGPT's training on the vast and unfiltered internet means it can easily invent plausible-sounding but entirely fake legal precedents and case citations. For a profession where accuracy is paramount, this is an unacceptable risk. The Midpage plugin addresses this problem head-on by grounding ChatGPT's powerful language capabilities in a verified, secure database of legal information.

Introducing the Midpage GPT Plugin

The Midpage ChatGPT Integration works by connecting the AI to Midpage's comprehensive database of real case law, statutes, and regulations. It equips ChatGPT with specialized tools to actively search across these materials, ensuring that its responses are based on verifiable legal sources. This direct connection drastically reduces the risk of hallucinations, turning ChatGPT into a trustworthy research assistant.

A Head to Head Demonstration

In the demo, Zastrow presents a compelling side-by-side comparison of standard ChatGPT versus the Midpage-enhanced version. The same case law questions were posed to both. The demonstration clearly shows the plugin's ability to avoid hallucinations and its utility in practical research and drafting scenarios.

To see how the plugin effectively finds accurate case law while the standard version falters, you can watch the full video demonstration.

Head to YouTube to watch the full video with chapter markers.

About the How It Works Series

How It Works is a sponsored video series that provides a firsthand look at how various legal technology products function. Each episode features a hands-on demonstration presented by the product's developer and moderated by LawNext.

You can see other episodes here or read the introduction to the series. To explore more from the series, visit the How It Works category page.