---
name: lex-uk-law
description: UK legal research using the Lex API. Search UK legislation and legal provisions. Use when researching UK law, analysing statutory instruments, or grounding responses in authoritative legal sources.
---

# UK Legal Research with Lex API

This skill requires the **Lex MCP server** to be installed and enabled. The skill provides guidance on using the Lex tools effectively for UK legal research.

## Prerequisites: Lex MCP Server

Check if Lex tools are available (e.g. `search_legislation`). If not installed, refer the user to https://github.com/i-dot-ai/lex for setup instructions.

## When to Use This Skill
- Researching UK legislation (Acts, Statutory Instruments)
- Searching for specific legal provisions or sections
- Analysing how legislation has been amended over time
- Grounding AI responses in authoritative UK legal sources

## Available Tools

The Lex MCP server provides these tools:

### Legislation Search
- **search_legislation** - Semantic search across UK Acts and Statutory Instruments
- **search_legislation_sections** - Search within specific provisions and sections
- **get_legislation_amendments** - Find amendments to legislation

## Search Best Practices

1. **Be specific with queries** - "employment tribunal unfair dismissal" works better than "employment law"
2. **Use filters** - Filter by year or legislation type when possible
3. **Check amendments** - Legislation may have been amended since enactment

## Data Coverage

- **Legislation**: 1267-present (complete from 1963)
- **Sources**: The National Archives

## Important Notes

- This is an experimental service for research purposes
- PDF-sourced legislation (pre-1963) uses LLM extraction - verify at source for critical accuracy
- Rate limited to 60 requests/minute