‘The industry has become unwelcoming to inexperienced newcomers, prompting many to switch careers’: Beijing-based legal officer
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenZhang Tongin BeijingPublished: 12:00pm, 25 Jun 2026A major legal database affiliated with Peking University has launched a large language model tool it says can accurately retrieve statutes and automatically generate contracts, sending ripples through the legal profession in China.AI-powered legal tools can draft convincing documents in seconds, yet without rigorous oversight they are equally adept at inventing statutes and fabricating precedents – a liability that has kept them on the sidelines in medicine and law.However, lawyers cannot afford to ignore the technology; the real question is not whether to use it, but how to harness its speed without sacrificing trust.
02:57Why China is slashing 12,000 university degreesEnter Chinalawinfo PKULaw, Peking University’s flagship legal database, which has rolled out a standard Model Context Protocol (MCP) interface – developed by Anthropic in 2024 – that plugs into any large language model like a flash drive, instantly equipping it with authoritative legal retrieval.
On its WeChat account, Chinalawinfo PKULaw said the new service – with backing from a vast repository of regulations, court rulings, academic analyses and case records – allowed users to search, verify currency, draft contracts and collate similar cases, all while delivering outputs that were not only accurate but also traceable to their source.
In short, the service transforms generative AI from a black box of potential hallucinations into a transparent, verifiable research partner, according to the developers.
Zhang Xian, deputy general manager of Chinalawinfo PKULaw, said the service was positioned squarely as an assistant, not a replacement.
