Casetext is a robust online legal research tool that uses artificial intelligence (CARA) to assist with brief review and inform search results to help lawyers enhance their research process. It has single-tier pricing for all of its resources, which includes Statutes, Regulations, and Case Law in the Federal Courts and all fifty States. Its citator, SmartCite, also leverages its CARA tool to help find the most relevant cases for your specific fact-pattern. Additionally, it adds an extra orange “flag” to indicate when a case is still good law, but relies on an overruled opinion.
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Who Casetext is For
Casetext is a good option for firms of all sizes who need to perform online legal research using primary sources. Specifically, those who are cost-conscious, but need something more than Google Scholar will likely find the most benefit. This is because they use a single-tier, per-user, pricing model that is easy to understand. Further, by using CARA, solo and small firms may be able to leverage limited resources to derive even more benefit than larger firms.
On the other hand, attorneys who often rely on proprietary secondary sources, will likely want to supplement Casetext with another research tool.
Casetext Features
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Website
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casetext.com |
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Starting Cost
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$65/user/month |
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Free Trial
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Apps
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Sources
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US State Cases
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All 50 States |
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US State Statutes
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All 50 States |
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US Cases
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✓ |
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US Statutes
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✓ |
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Dockets
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✗ |
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Secondary Sources
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✗ |
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News Coverage
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✗ |
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Artificial Intelligence (AI)
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✓ |
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Natural Language Search
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✓ |
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Boolean Search
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✓ |
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Case Summaries
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✓ |
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Citation Checking
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✓ |
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Filter Search
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✓ |
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Research History
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✓ |
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Research Folders
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✓ |
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PDF/Word Downloads
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✓ |
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Suggestions
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✓ |
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Alerts
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✓ |
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Software Integrations
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Open API
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Additional Details
Artificial Intelligence. The Case Analysis Research Assistant, or CARA, is Casetext’s AI-backed legal research tool that helps you discover relevant cases and briefs based on documents (complaints, briefs, and memos) that you upload to CARA. After uploading, CARA will analyze the brief and make all subsequent research more intelligent, instantly returning relevant cases that are on the same facts, legal issues, jurisdiction, and motion at issue. It will also surface relevant statutes, articles, and briefs filed by other attorneys on the same topic. This means that you don’t have to doubt if you missed anything after you already spent countless hours on research.
Citator Service. Casetext’s citator service, SmartCite, is also informed by its AI assistant, CARA. Like most other citators, it will indicate bad law, good law, and cases that may be problematic. However, SmartCite will also indicate when cases rely on opinions that have been subsequently overruled.
Secondary Sources. Casetext, unfortunately, does not have much in the way of Secondary Sources. Unlike LexisNexis or WestLaw, it is mainly a Case Law, Statute, and Rules resource. You won’t find much proprietary resources, treatises, or journal articles.
They don't discriminate against alleged "non-lawyers"
Out of all of these “exclusive” AI sites, CaseText is the only one that understands that you don’t have to have a bar card to be a lawyer. In fact, the SCOTUS has affirmed this fact multiple times. Other company’s just don’t get that. With the rise of pro se litigants these days, one would think that SOMEONE would catch on, but no….
I wish CaseText had as robust tools as Westlaw, but Westlaw is an ABSOLUTE joke.