Guide · Buying
Questions to ask legal AI vendors
Before buying a legal AI tool, ask eight things: what a task costs, whether you can see the work, how it fits Word, which law it covers, where data goes, who approves changes, how you get your work out, and which certifications it holds. Good vendors answer plainly and in writing.
The eight questions
- What does one task cost, before I run it?Ask for published prices, the billing model (seats, subscription, credits or usage) and minimum terms. Ask whether you see the cost of a task before it runs.
- Can I see the work?Ask whether the tool shows what it searched, what it read and how it reached the answer, and whether that record is kept.
- How does it work with Word?Ask whether edits arrive as tracked changes in the document itself, and whether you approve each one.
- Which law does it cover, exactly?Ask for a list of jurisdictions and instruments, whether case law is included, and how the tool shows which version and date of the law it used.
- Where does my data go?Ask where servers, databases and backups are hosted, which AI providers process prompts and where they are, whether anyone trains on your data, and how long data is kept.
- Who decides?Ask whether any change can reach a document without human approval, and how versions are kept.
- How do I get my work out?Ask about export formats (Word, PDF), account closure and deletion.
- Which certifications and audits exist?Ask for named certificates (for example ISO 27001 or SOC 2 reports) with their scope, rather than general security claims.
How Consilena answers
| Question | Consilena today | Where to check |
|---|---|---|
| Price per task | Free start credits, then pay-as-you-go credit packs; no subscription. Each question shows an estimate before you send it. Credits never expire. | Pricing |
| Visible work | A work trace lists every step with its time and cost. | How it works |
| Word | Edits arrive as tracked changes, in the workspace and in the Consilena for Word add-in (beta). | Drafting |
| Coverage | Selected UK legislation, German federal statutes and EU law, plus French, Swiss and US federal law. No UK or German case law yet. | Coverage |
| Data | Servers, databases, files and backups on AWS in Frankfurt; encrypted in transit and at rest. Questions go to US-based AI model providers with data collection denied. No training on your documents. | Security, Privacy |
| Human approval | You accept or reject every edit; each decision is saved as a new version. | Document review |
| Export | Answers, memos and redlines export as PDF or DOCX. | Pricing |
| Certifications | Consilena does not claim any security certification today. | Security |
Answers that should give you pause
- Accuracy percentages or claims that a tool does not hallucinate, without a published method.
- Compliance labels used as a product feature rather than a statement of what the vendor does.
- “Covers UK law” without a list of what is and is not included.
- No price until after a sales call, with minimum terms you only learn late.
Run a fair trial
Use two or three real (anonymised) tasks you know well, run them in each tool, and check every citation and edit yourself. Time the checking, not only the answer: a tool that is quick to verify saves more than one that is quick to answer.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most important question to ask a legal AI vendor?
Whether you can check the work: see the sources, open each provision and approve every change. Everything else depends on being able to verify the output.
Should I trust a vendor’s accuracy figures?
Only with a published, reproducible method. Accuracy depends on the questions asked, and independent studies have found vendor claims overstated, so test with your own tasks.
Does Consilena hold ISO 27001 or SOC 2?
Consilena does not claim any security certification today. The security page sets out what is in place: hosting in Frankfurt, encryption in transit and at rest, and the AI providers used.
Can I try Consilena before paying?
Yes. New accounts get free start credits, with no card and no subscription.
Consilena is a software provider, not a law firm. AI output is not legal advice — consult a licensed lawyer in the relevant jurisdiction.
Ask your first question. See the price before you do.
Free start credits · No card · No subscription · AI output is not legal advice — consult a licensed lawyer in the relevant jurisdiction.