How Law Students Can Use Casetext’s Artificial Intelligence to Make Research Easier and Faster
By Andres Y. Gonzalez, J.D. Candidate, University of Hawaiʻi School of Law
A few weeks ago, I woke up to a tweet that alarmed me quite a bit. My phone was not mistaken this time when it told me a #robotfight was about to take place during Legal Week, an event where companies showcase the newest technology in the market. Although it was a better tweet to wake up to than many others I have received since opening my account less than a year ago, I had no idea what it entailed but was confident Casetext was not going to let me down.
I learned about Casetext through an email Prof. Huffman shared with the student body letting us know we had free access to this tool. Taking advantage of the opportunity to procrastinate on my reading, I went to the website to learn more about the company. Casetext’s mission to use technology to increase access to justice sparked my curiosity, so I decided to register. And I am so glad I did it! Looking back, those few minutes I spent learning more about the company have since been recovered and I would like an opportunity to share my experience with you.
Have you ever been working on an assignment and thought about how great it would be to have more time? You may be wondering, how can Casetext help if they cannot give you time?
Well, one of the reasons Casetext attended Legal Week in New York last month is not only because of robot fights, but also because some of its products are revolutionizing the legal industry. By using artificial intelligence (AI) to make searches more efficient, Casetext can shorten the time you spend doing research. AI enables machines to accomplish tasks humans can do but at an exponentially higher speed. When it comes to access to justice, increased speed and high quality results can enable attorneys to assist more clients. Alternatively, attorneys may chose to spend more time to ensure their clients have a good understanding of the legal problems and possible outcomes or they may be able to reduce overall costs by factoring out the time saved on research.
Even though Casetext cannot give you time, it can make things easier for you. CARA, for instance, allows you to upload a legal memo or brief and will provide you with a detailed list of additional sources to consider, including other briefs relevant to yours. Just like other emerging types of AI we see today, CARA cannot do your work nor it can replace attorneys. At this time, it cannot interview a prospective client, write a legal brief or litigate a case in court. What CARA succeeds at is ensuring all relevant sources are taken into account in order to put forward the best legal argument one can make.
What I like about Casetext is that they know legal knowledge cannot be exclusive to people in the legal profession. Because they believe access to justice requires making the information available to everyone in our communities, most Casetext’s products are not only accessible for free to law students but also to the general public. For my classmates who will be graduating in a few months, this is a very important tool to be familiar with. When the WestLaw and LexisNexis memberships expire after you are done with law school, but not yet settled in your new job, know that Casetext has your back.
Andres is Casetext’s University of Hawai’i Student Ambassador. He can be reached at andresyg@hawaii.edu. Law students can click here to sign up for a free Casetext account.
This blog post originally appeared on the University of Hawai’i School of Law Library website: https://library.law.hawaii.edu/2018/02/12/casetext-using-artificial-intelligence-to-make-research-easier-and-faster/
