Seven mistakes AI makes in Latvian legal text

AI tools write Latvian better every month. In legal text that is not enough: a mistake there is not a matter of style, it can change what a document means or make it invalid. These are the mistakes I see most often, and how to catch them.

1. An invented section

The model refers to a section that does not exist, or to the right act but the wrong section. The text looks convincing because the wording is plausible. Check: open every reference on likumi.lv and compare the actual text with what the AI claims.

2. An outdated version

Laws change, but a model's knowledge stops at some point in the past. A reference may point to a section that has since been amended or repealed. likumi.lv shows the version history of every act: check that the quoted version was in force on the date of the document.

3. Terms from the wrong procedure or field

In legal language a term is not a synonym. Civil procedure has a claimant and a defendant; in administrative court proceedings the party is an applicant. A model often picks a word that is right in everyday language or in another procedure, but not in the provision at hand. Check: compare the terms with how the relevant act uses them.

4. A case ending that swaps the parties

In Latvian legal text the grammatical case decides who has the obligation and who has the right. A mistake in the genitive or dative can swap the parties. Read sentences with several parties and long subordinate clauses with particular care.

5. Lost diacritics

Missing long vowels or softened consonants look like a detail, but in a document they look unprofessional and can raise doubts about the identity of personal and company names. It happens most often when text moves between tools or is exported to PDF.

6. A different legal system

A model trained mostly on English text can bring in common-law concepts that have no direct equivalent in Latvian law, such as "consideration" as a condition for a valid contract. The result is text that sounds legal but rests on a different legal system.

7. Confidence without grounds

The most dangerous mistake is not a wrong answer but a wrong answer with no sign of doubt. A good tool tells you where it is unsure. If an AI never says "please check this", treat that as a warning.

How to work more safely

• Ask for references and check each one at the source.
• Check that the provision was in force on the date of the document.
• Compare terms with the text of the act, not with everyday language.
• Read the document the way the other party or a court would.

LexAI runs some of these checks automatically, but the principle is universal: AI can prepare a draft, responsibility for the document stays with the lawyer.