Legal Research Guide
13 AI Legal Research Examples and Use Cases
Explore 13 practical legal research examples using AI tools to streamline your casework. Discover more enhanced ways to analyze statutes and case law.
May 23, 2025
Consider you're staring at a mountain of legal documents, deadlines looming, with no idea where to start. Legal research can be overwhelming, especially if you're unsure what you want. But it doesn't have to be. By exploring real-life legal research examples, you'll see how others have tackled similar challenges and learn how to do legal research more effectively. In this article, we'll show you how to harness the power of AI to research and write faster, so you can focus on what matters: winning your case. So, how to do legal research?
If you're looking for a tool to help you research and write faster, Otio's AI research and writing partner is worth checking out. Built with the needs of legal researchers in mind, this powerful tool can help you find the information you need quickly and efficiently, so you can get back to work.
Table Of Contents
Importance of Legal Research
1. Accurate Answers Lead to Success
Legal research is your secret weapon for confidently presenting your case. You can tackle any issue in court when you've got solid research. It gives you the ammo you need to counter your opponent's arguments easily. You’re not just guessing or winging it; you’ve got the facts to back you up. This precision helps you stay cool under pressure and confidently argue your point.
2. Knowledge is Your Best Ally
As a lawyer, you must be ready for anything the jury throws your way. Questions, statements, challenges, they're all fair game. Having comprehensive legal research under your belt means you can answer confidently and competently. Your client and the court will see you as credible and reliable. You can explain the ins and outs of your case, showing that you're not just skating by but truly understand the matter at hand. This thorough understanding allows you to leverage the best strategies and evidence for your case.
3. Simplifying Complexity
Some cases seem like a tangled mess at first glance. But once you dig into the legal research, it’s like turning on a light in a dark room. You can see what’s happening and break it down into manageable parts. This makes it easier to come up with a plan of attack. You’ll know what needs your focus and what’s just noise. You can streamline your approach and tackle the core issues head-on by eliminating unnecessary details.
4. Delivering Value with Every Detail
When your case is solid and well-researched, it shows. The court can see the effort you’ve put in, and it reflects well on you as a lawyer. Legal research isn’t just about finding facts; it’s about uncovering the nuances and details that add weight to your argument. The more comprehensive your research, the clearer the potential outcomes in court become. This knowledge empowers you to present compelling evidence and make persuasive arguments.
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13 AI Legal Research Examples and Use Cases
1. Otio: Simplifying Research with AI
Knowledge workers, researchers, and students often face content overload, using fragmented tools to manage it. Otio offers a solution by integrating AI into a single workspace for researchers. It allows users to gather data from bookmarks, tweets, books, and YouTube videos. Then, it extracts key takeaways with AI-generated notes and Q&A chat features. Otio enables users to create draft outputs from the collected sources, speeding up the transition from reading list to first draft. Researchers can benefit from its AI-generated notes, chat-like interaction with links, and AI-assisted writing. The tool’s web scraping capabilities offer access to diverse information, streamlining the research process. Try Otio for free today and see how it can enhance your research and writing experience.
2. ROSS Intelligence: Revolutionizing Legal Research
ROSS Intelligence uses AI to streamline legal research by scanning databases, case law records, and statutory laws. This technology allows legal professionals to access relevant precedents and insights quickly. An example is BakerHostetler, a global law firm that reduced research time by 60% with ROSS Intelligence, allowing attorneys to focus more on client representation and litigation strategies.
3. LexisNexis (Lex Machina): Predictive Case Analytics
Lex Machina uses AI to predict case outcomes and settlement probabilities by analyzing historical case data, judicial behavior, and attorney win rates. DLA Piper used Lex Machina to improve litigation strategies by 35%, resulting in higher success rates and optimized client advisory.
4. Casetext (CARA AI): AI-Assisted Brief Analysis
CARA AI enhances legal brief preparation by comparing legal briefs, judicial opinions, and case citations, suggesting stronger arguments and precedents. WilmerHale, a top litigation firm, reported a 40% reduction in preparation time thanks to CARA AI, which improved case preparation accuracy.
5. Relativity (RelativityOne AI): E-Discovery Made Easy
RelativityOne AI automates document review by classifying relevant legal data, reducing the burden of manual e-discovery and legal audits. Jones Day used RelativityOne AI to cut document review costs by 50% in a multi-million-dollar antitrust case, streamlining compliance investigations.
6. Kira Systems: AI-Driven Contract Analysis
Kira Systems accelerates contract review by extracting key clauses and terms, improving risk assessment and compliance. Deloitte implemented Kira Systems, reducing review time by 80%, saving on legal expenses, and minimizing human errors.
7. LawGeex: Streamlining Contract Review with AI
LawGeex reviews NDAs, vendor agreements, and business contracts, flagging potential risks and ensuring compliance with corporate policies. eBay processed contracts 10 times faster with LawGeex, reducing legal team workloads and increasing operational efficiency.
8. DoNotPay: AI-Powered Legal Assistance
DoNotPay helps consumers with legal tasks like disputing parking tickets, filing small claims, and generating legal documentation. This AI has assisted in successfully appealing over $4 million in fines, making legal services more accessible.
9. Luminance: AI-Powered Due Diligence
Luminance uses AI to analyze thousands of legal documents, detecting anomalies, risks, and compliance issues. Slaughter and May used Luminance to save 75% of due diligence time, accelerating M&A transactions.
10. RAVN (iManage RAVN): Simplifying Document Automation
iManage RAVN automates document classification, retrieval, and summarization, simplifying legal workflows. Clifford Chance implemented iManage RAVN to reduce document search time by 65%, boosting efficiency in case preparation.
11. JPMorgan Chase (COIN AI): Legal Compliance and Risk Management
COIN AI reviews complex legal contracts to identify real-time risks, errors, and compliance gaps. JPMorgan Chase analyzed 12,000 contracts in seconds, reducing legal work that took 360,000 hours annually.
12. Bloomberg Law: Staying Ahead with AI-Powered Legal Insights
Bloomberg Law offers real-time updates on legislation changes, industry regulations, and compliance risks. Its AI helped multinational corporations comply with evolving data privacy laws, reducing risk exposure.
13. Eigen Technologies: AI-Powered Risk Assessment
Eigen Technologies scans legal documents, regulatory filings, and compliance reports to flag risks and unusual contract terms. Financial institutions improved risk assessment efficiency by 45%, reducing regulatory penalties.
How to Do Legal Research in 6 Simple Steps
Streamline Legal Research with Otio
Legal research can be overwhelming with the sheer amount of information out there. Otio offers a solution by providing a single AI-native workspace for researchers. It helps you gather and organize data from bookmarks, tweets, books, and YouTube videos. With AI-generated notes and the ability to chat with your collected information, Otio makes it easier to go from reading to drafting. Its web scraping capabilities allow you to access a wide range of data beyond traditional academic papers and search engines. Try Otio for free and see how it can make legal research easier.
Record the Facts of Your Case and Create a Research Plan
To effectively handle a legal task, you need to understand the case at hand clearly. Start by identifying the legal issue, relevant details, jurisdiction, and whether you need state or federal case law. Record this information in a case management tool to help you develop a research plan and determine where to start. This step is crucial for efficiently managing multiple clients and will likely be needed when filing a motion or brief.
Learn and Understand Precedent in Your Jurisdiction
When researching, pay special attention to the geographical location where your legal issue will be resolved. Is the precedent controlling already in your jurisdiction? Or is it merely a persuasive precedent that has not yet been adopted? Understanding the precedent in your jurisdiction is crucial for crafting a solid legal argument.
Gather Sources of Law
The next step is to gather relevant sources of law. Start with secondary sources, such as practice guides, legal treatises, and law review articles, to build your knowledge base before diving into primary law. This will help you avoid mistakes and spot case-winning primary law. Primary sources, such as case law, statutes, and regulations, are the law and should be used to support your arguments.
Check to See If You’re Using Good Law
The final step in your research process is to ensure you’re using “good” law. This means you’re using case law that has been treated positively in court instead of case law that has been overturned or questioned. Check your case citations as you collect them, and review them once your research process is complete to catch any gaps, changes, or oversights.
Report Your Results to Check for Gaps
Compiling your research into a legal memorandum is necessary for conducting legal research. It allows you to identify any gaps in information that may present consequences later on. A legal memorandum should state the facts of the case, identify the issue, apply “good” law to the facts, predict counterpoints, and assess the case’s outcome. Consider supplementing your research with a book from a local law library on effectively presenting your findings.
Mistakes to Avoid in Legal Research
Nailing Down Your Research Question
One of the most significant errors in legal research is launching into it without a well-defined question. A vague starting point can make finding relevant sources and analyzing legal issues tough. Avoid this by crafting a specific research question before you begin. Break down broad topics into smaller, manageable sub-questions, and ensure you can tackle them with the legal sources you have on hand.
Keeping Up with the Times
Legal principles change with new laws and court decisions. Relying on outdated or unverified sources can lead to wrong conclusions. Use the latest editions of legal texts and databases, verify case law with online platforms, and check official sources for legislative updates.
Don’t Forget the Basics
Neglecting primary legal sources like statutes and judicial decisions in favor of secondary sources is a rookie mistake. Prioritize primary sources for solid legal arguments. Use secondary sources for context, but always cross-reference with primary materials.
Cite Like a Pro
Failing to cite legal sources properly can lead to plagiarism accusations and weaken your research. Stick to a standardized legal citation style and use footnotes for detailed citations. Citation management tools like Zotero or EndNote can keep things organized.
Search Engines Aren’t Enough
Relying too much on general search engines like Google can lead to misinformation. They might not provide authoritative legal sources. Instead, use dedicated legal research databases like Westlaw or LexisNexis. Make sure your sources are peer-reviewed and credible.
Mind the Jurisdiction
Laws differ by jurisdiction, and applying legal principles from one area to another without careful analysis can throw your research off. Always consider jurisdictional applicability when citing laws and cases. Compare legal frameworks across different jurisdictions in comparative research.
Dig Deeper into Case Law
Citing cases without analyzing the key legal principles or binding precedents can be a significant oversight. Read full judgments, not just summaries, to identify the central legal principles. Compare similar cases to strengthen your arguments.
Stay Updated
Legal doctrines and judicial interpretations change over time. Ensure your research reflects the latest developments by regularly updating it with new case law and statutory amendments. Legal citators like Shepard’s Citations or KeyCite can be used to track updates.
Avoid the Plagiarism Trap
Copying or paraphrasing legal sources without proper attribution is a serious ethical violation. Always provide appropriate citations and use plagiarism detection tools to check for originality. Critically analyze legal issues to develop unique perspectives.
Don’t Overlook Context
Legal research shouldn’t be confined to legal texts alone. Ignoring legal issues, policy implications, and social context can lead to a narrow analysis. Consider historical, economic, and social factors that influence legal principles. Integrate interdisciplinary research and consult policy documents and expert opinions.
Structure Matters
A poorly structured research paper can make it hard for readers to follow your legal arguments. Organize your paper with a clear structure: Introduction, Literature Review, Methodology, Analysis, Conclusion. Use headings and subheadings to guide readers and ensure a logical argument flow.
Stay Ethical
Ethical concerns like biased reporting or misrepresentation can undermine your research. Maintain objectivity and fairness in your analysis. Avoid manipulating legal precedents to fit preconceived conclusions and follow ethical guidelines set by legal institutions. Need a partner for your research and writing tasks? Otio can be your AI research and writing partner, providing one AI-native workspace to help researchers collect data, extract key takeaways, and create draft outputs. Let Otio streamline your research process and try it for free today.
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Supercharge Your Researching Ability With Otio — Try Otio for Free Today
Legal research can be overwhelming with so much content available. The pain is real. Awyers, students, and researchers often drown in an ocean of documents. Traditional methods like bookmarking and note-taking can help, but frequently fall short. Enter Otio, a tool designed to make your research process more efficient. It allows you to collect various data sources, from academic papers to YouTube videos. With AI-generated notes and summaries, you can quickly extract key takeaways. The ability to chat with individual links or entire knowledge bases offers new ways to explore information. AI-assisted writing helps you create draft outputs faster. Otio’s web scraping capabilities allow you to access diverse information beyond traditional academic papers.
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