Smarter Week

How to automate it

How to automate “research laws, regulations and case law”

Here is the best way to spend less time on this, best first. Each comes with steps you can follow today and, for AI fixes, a prompt to copy.

60 min
typically, a few times a week
50%
of the time can be automated
Some setup
to set up

Fix 1 of 1

AI

Use legal-specific AI research and verify every citation

Westlaw's CoCounsel, Lexis+ AI and Bloomberg Law answer research questions with links to real authority. General chatbots can invent cases, so check every citation before relying on it.

Typically saves about 40% of the time10 min to set up
  1. 1Use the AI in your legal research subscription first (CoCounsel in Westlaw, Lexis+ AI, Bloomberg Law).
  2. 2Use general AI only to get oriented or to structure a memo.
  3. 3Open and read every case or statute cited.
  4. 4Note the date of research; law changes.
Prompt to copy
Research question: [QUESTION] in [JURISDICTION] as of [DATE]. Give a short answer, then the key statutes, regulations and cases with full citations and a one-line summary of each, then open issues or splits in authority. If you are not certain a source exists, say so instead of citing it.

Tools: Thomson Reuters CoCounsel Legal (Westlaw) · Lexis+ AI · Bloomberg Law · Enterprise ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Microsoft Copilot (approved for confidential data)

Quick wins

Have you tried…

Have you tried the AI in Westlaw or Lexis for legal research?
CoCounsel in Westlaw and Lexis+ AI answer research questions with links to real cases and statutes. You still read every source before relying on it.

Who does this task

Roles in our library that list this as one of their common tasks. Each guide covers the rest of that role’s week.

In-house counsel

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