In Appreciation of Law Libraries: Offering Free Casetext in the Wake of COVID-19

Across the United States, thousands of attorneys rely on law libraries for the resources they need to effectively practice law. Law libraries provide CLE seminars, reference support, and free legal research, allowing attorneys to provide quality representation to clients while keeping their costs down. 

But as COVID-19 threatens our communities, many law libraries are unable to safely keep their doors open, cutting attorneys off from these services. 

With record levels of unemployment, medical care needs, and small business closures, lawyers will be invaluable in helping us recover from the effects of this pandemic. Their ability to provide effective and affordable representation will be more important than ever.

To support the legal community during this time, Casetext has been trying to bridge the gap left by the closure of these institutions. 

First, we are providing free legal research for any attorneys who can’t access their usual resources while sheltering in place. Since we announced this program last week, hundreds of attorneys have applied for access. 

It has been inspiring to see how many attorneys are still working tirelessly to represent clients facing challenges brought on by the pandemic. We will continue to offer access to anyone who needs access to legal research until shelter in place orders have been lifted in the U.S.

Second, we will continue to offer free access to our library of CLE’s. They are a fantastic resource for anyone looking to strengthen their legal research skills. You can sign up for courses individually https://casetext.com/cle-program/

If you or someone you know is restricted from accessing their legal research resources during this time, go to casetext.com/covid-access today. 

If you have suggestions for how Casetext can be a resource for you or your library during this period, we’d love to hear them. Reach out to us at support@casetext.com

We hope you all remain safe and healthy during this difficult time.

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Draft Correspondence

Rapidly draft common legal letters and emails.

How this skill works

  • Specify the recipient, topic, and tone of the correspondence you want.

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Review Documents

Get answers to your research questions, with explanations and supporting sources.

How this skill works

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Legal Research Memo

Get answers to your research questions, with explanations and supporting sources.

How this skill works

  • Enter a question or issue, along with relevant facts such as jurisdiction, area of law, etc.

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  • Behind the scenes, Conduct Research generates multiple queries using keyword search, terms and connectors, boolean, and Parallel Search to identify the on-point case law, statutes, and regulations, reads and analyzes the search results, and outputs a summary of its findings (i.e. an answer to the question), along with the supporting sources and applicable excerpts.

Prepare for a Deposition

Get a thorough deposition outline in no time, just by describing the deponent and what’s at issue.

How this skill works

  • Describe the deponent and what’s at issue in the case, and CoCounsel identifies multiple highly relevant topics to address in the deposition and drafts questions for each topic.

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Extract Contract Data

Ask questions of contracts that are analyzed in a line-by-line review

How this skill works

  • Allows the user to upload a set of contracts and a set of questions

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  • Ask up to 10 questions of each contract

  • Relevant results will hyperlink to identified passages in the corresponding contract

Contract Policy Compliance

Get a list of all parts of a set of contracts that don’t comply with a set of policies.

How this skill works

  • Upload a set of contracts and then describe a policy or set of policies that the contracts should comply with, e.g. "contracts must contain a right to injunctive relief, not merely the right to seek injunctive relief."

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Summarize

Get an overview of any document in straightforward, everyday language.

How this skill works

  • Upload a document–e.g. a legal memorandum, judicial opinion, or contract.

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Search a Database

Find all instances of relevant information in a database of documents.

How this skill works

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Skills

UNIVERSAL
Search a Database

Find all instances of relevant information in a database of documents.

Summarize

Get an overview of any document in straightforward, everyday language.

Draft Correspondence

Rapidly draft common legal letters and emails.

TRANSACTIONAL
Contract Policy Compliance

Get a list of all parts of a set of contracts that don’t comply with a set of policies.

Extract Contract Data

Ask questions of contracts that are analyzed in a line-by-line review

Prepare for a Deposition

Get a thorough deposition outline by describing the deponent and what’s at issue.

LITIGATION
Legal Research Memo

Get answers to your research questions, with explanations and supporting sources.

Review Documents

Get comprehensive answers to your questions about a set of documents.