Verify before you rely

You already do this. You self-review your work before sending it for review, and you do not send a client an answer you did not look into. Verification is not a new habit Claude asks of you, but it does change how you approach it.

Our jobs are changing from being preparation focused to review focused. We are no longer always the first layer on a task, AI is. As a result, even an entry-level role straight out of college now requires a level of competence when it comes to reviewing.

Here is the check on the answer from the last lesson. Claude said any amount over $600 is required to be reported as income upon receipt according to the IRS. Instead of trusting the output, the appropriate response is to verify against an authoritative source or through CoCounsel. Once you take the time to verify, you quickly discover that the dollar threshold rule Claude cited does not apply to this scenario and that the answer would depend on whether the client is on a cash or accrual basis. Your check prevents incorrect information from going out to a client or being placed on a return.

Verification handles the case where the tool is wrong. It does not touch the part of the work that stays yours even when the tool is right. That is the last lesson in this module.