Brief Analysis Tools in the Legal Research Classroom: Challenges & Best Practices

Abstract

The first brief analysis tool, CARA, was introduced to the market by Casetext in 2016, setting off a competition among research vendors to produce Artificial Intelligence (AI)-infused legal research tools designed to analyze a legal document. Following the launch of CARA, a number of companies have developed their own versions of such tools.

In general, brief analysis tools perform two main tasks after the document is uploaded to the platform: (1) validating if the cited authorities are good law; and (2) suggesting additional authorities that the original document might have missed.

With brief analysis tools easily accessible on Westlaw, LexisNexis, and Bloomberg Law—the frequent partners of a law student’s legal research life—one question for law librarians and legal instructors is whether they should introduce these tools in law school legal research classrooms. We believe the answer is yes, and this article provides guidance for how best to do it.