I spent years in the courtroom before I ever wrote a line of code. CiteShield exists because I know what's at stake—and I believe AI should make attorneys better, not put them at risk.
Lawyers are going to use generative AI. It's not a question of if—it's happening right now, in every practice area, at every level. Associates are drafting with it. Partners are researching with it. Solo practitioners are using it to compete with BigLaw.
And here's the thing: that's not a bad thing. AI can make legal services more accessible, more efficient, and honestly—better. The problem isn't the technology. The problem is that most AI tools aren't built by people who understand legal practice.
They don't understand that a single bad citation can end a career. They don't understand the sacred trust between attorney and client. They don't understand that "move fast and break things" is the exact opposite of how law should work.
I understand. Because I lived it.
The path from practicing attorney to building AI tools wasn't planned. It was necessary.
Litigation. Late nights reviewing briefs. The weight of knowing your client's future depends on every word you write. I know what attorneys go through because I went through it.
When AI started transforming every industry, I saw both the promise and the peril for law. Incredible tools were being built—but not by people who understood what malpractice actually means.
I taught myself to code because no one else was building what we needed. If lawyers are going to use AI—and they are—someone who understands the stakes needs to build the guardrails.
Every feature I build starts with one question: could this hurt an attorney's practice? If there's any doubt, I don't ship it. The legal profession doesn't need "move fast and break things." It needs tools that work, every single time.
The best AI doesn't pretend to be a lawyer. It gives lawyers superpowers while keeping them in control. Your judgment. Your strategy. Your client relationship. AI handles the tedious verification so you can focus on being a great advocate.
No enterprise sales calls. No monthly subscriptions designed to extract maximum revenue. Upload a brief, pay for that brief, get your report. Simple, transparent pricing that respects how legal work actually happens.
I'm not a Silicon Valley founder who read a book about legal tech. I've stood before judges. I've counseled clients through their worst moments. I've felt the weight of responsibility that comes with every filing. That experience shapes every decision I make.
In 2023, attorneys made headlines for citing cases that didn't exist—fabricated by AI tools that confidently hallucinated legal precedent. Courts issued sanctions. Careers were damaged. Trust was shattered.
This is the most dangerous failure mode of AI in legal practice. A hallucinated citation isn't just embarrassing—it's potentially career-ending. And as more attorneys use AI for research and drafting, the risk only grows.
CiteShield uses the most capable AI model available—Claude Opus 4.5—not because it's trendy, but because when it comes to protecting your reputation, "good enough" isn't. Every citation is verified against authoritative sources. Every flagged issue includes clear reasoning and suggested corrections.
This is where I started because this is where the risk is highest. But it's not where I'll stop.
CiteShield is the first product, not the last. I'm building a suite of AI-powered tools for legal practice—each one designed with safety first, built by someone who understands what's at stake.
The future of legal AI shouldn't be written by people who've never filed a motion. It should be built by those of us who know that every word matters, every citation counts, and every client deserves our best.
Try CiteShield Today"I built CiteShield because I believe lawyers deserve AI tools that respect the profession. Tools built with the same care and diligence we bring to our clients. Tools that make us better at what we do, without putting us at risk.
If you have questions, ideas, or just want to talk about the future of AI in legal practice, I'd love to hear from you."
Scott Hughes
Founder, CiteShield