Your Legal Research Agent Checks the Firm's Own Memos Before Westlaw
The Legal Research Agent in EngageSuite360 takes the first pass at research off your associates — the lawyers who today start every assignment with a blank search screen, even when a colleague answered the same question on a different matter last year. The agent searches the firm's own memos first, then runs focused searches in the external databases, ranks the authorities and drafts a first memo with proper citations, so the associate spends time on analysis and on the client.
What it takes off your plate
Ask an associate how research starts and you'll hear: "I know someone here has looked at this before, but I can't find it." Prior research memos are buried in matter files under whatever name the author chose. The partner vaguely remembers a memo on the same limitation question and cannot say which matter it was in.
So the research starts over. Westlaw and Lexis costs keep rising while the firm's use of them stays inefficient — broad searches return too many results to read, narrow searches miss the authority that decides the issue. The cost is associate hours spent rebuilding analysis the firm already paid for, write-downs when the client will not pay for it twice, and less time for the client conversation that the research is meant to serve.
What the Legal Research Agent does, step by step
The Legal Research Agent starts with the lawyer who assigned the question.
- It takes the assignment. When a partner or associate sends a research request by email or through the matter, the agent confirms the question, the jurisdiction, the matter it belongs to and when the answer is needed.
- It asks what is missing. If the request leaves out the jurisdiction, the procedural posture or the key facts, the agent asks the requesting lawyer before searching.
- It searches the firm's memos first. The agent searches the internal memo database and matter files for prior analysis on similar issues and returns what the firm already has, with the author and matter.
- It queries the external databases. The agent builds focused search strategies for Westlaw or Lexis, narrowing by jurisdiction, court and issue so results are readable and complete.
- It summarizes and ranks the authorities. Each case and statute is summarized, with a relevance ranking and a note on how it bears on the question.
- It drafts the memo. The agent produces a first-draft research memo with proper citation formatting, including the prior firm analysis it relied on.
- It reports back. The requesting lawyer gets notice that the draft is ready, and the agent tracks review until the memo is final.
The associate checks every authority, tests the reasoning and signs the memo. The agent never gives the client legal advice.
Where the work is recorded
Every research assignment is recorded in EngageSuite360 on the matter: the question, the jurisdiction, the prior memos found, the searches run, the draft and the final memo. On the client and client organization: the issues researched for them, so the next question starts from what the firm already knows. The next step is written down — "draft memo ready for associate review," "partner to confirm jurisdiction," "memo final, filed to matter."
The final memo is saved to your document management system, such as NetDocuments, and linked to the matter in Clio, so the next search finds it.
When an associate opens EngageSuite360 in the morning, they see which research drafts are ready, which requests are waiting on an answer from them and the prior memos the agent surfaced overnight. An agent that cannot record its results is only a chatbot; this one builds a research library the whole firm can use.
What your people do instead
Your associates spend their time on the analysis only a lawyer can do and on the client — the call that explains what the research means for the case and what happens next. Your partners get answers faster and see the firm's prior work reused.
Clients notice when their lawyer has the answer and the time to explain it. The EngageSuite360 Legal Research Agent keeps the searching, summarizing and drafting moving, so your people spend their time on advice and client service.
Research often starts at intake. Read how firms convert intake follow-up into signed clients and clear the friction from intake and conflict checks.
One next step
Set up EngageSuite360 for legal — clients, client organizations, matters and intakes shaped for a law firm, with communications and the Legal Research Agent built in. Send it the next research question and see what the firm already knows.
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I'm Victoria, the Legal ambassador here. One useful piece a week for legal owners, written for how the work actually happens — plus first access to the free EngageSuite360 CRM built for legal. Unsubscribe any time.
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