Your New Briefing Sidekick
Let’s face it: legal research isn’t just a time suck, it’s also a mind-numbing exercise in juggling details. Enter Westlaw’s Search & Summarize Practical Law feature, which feels like having a hyper-efficient research clerk at your fingertips—minus the snark and coffee runs. Westlaw’s latest tool promises to cut down the time you spend searching for relevant cases, statutes, and regulations by, well, searching and summarizing it all for you. But does it really deliver on that promise?
Favorite law firm use cases: Legal Research; Sourcing Reliable Precedent
Features & Functionality
Search & Summarize Practical Law is part of Westlaw’s larger ecosystem. It is the newest iteration of the Practical Law product that incorporates Generative AI and takes advantage of Thomson Reuters’ acquisition of CaseText CoCounsel, so it integrates seamlessly with their robust database of legal materials. What sets it apart is its AI-powered summarization engine that helps you pull out key legal concepts without losing crucial nuances. You input your query, and it delivers a clear and concise summary, complete with links to deeper legal analysis if needed.
Want a deeper dive? Search & Summarize also offers options to refine your search results based on jurisdiction, case relevance, or even judge analytics (for the extra-cautious litigator). In my test run, it delivered fast and accurate case breakdowns, which I was able to tweak and use directly in my legal memos. However, the tool is only as good as your query—feed it too much fluff, and you’ll have to refine the output.
If you have access to this new tool, the user interface is quite sleek with one prompt box. I liked the “How Search & Summarize Practical Law works” and “Tips for best results” links that provided very easy guidance. The guidance was easy to understand as you can see below.
I ran a query about elements needed to make a DTPA claim and Practical Law came back with elements and and links to practical guides an attorney could go to in order to draft commencement of an action.
I made sure to do a follow up in order to ask how to draft one of the steps (a 60 day written notice) and was happy to see some dependable guidance with reliable links to resources to help any attorney get to drafting.
Here is the thing. Westlaw (and Lexis to a similar extent) has the advantage of sitting on a robust set of precedent. As they say themselves: “With more than 90,000 legal resources maintained by our expert attorney-editors — including templates, checklists, how-to guides, and practice notes — you can familiarize yourself with new matters quickly and get answers to your “how do I” legal questions faster than ever before.” Without multiple use tests I already see the value of Search & Summarize Practical Law as a reliable place to source resources to help an attorney draft from scratch. The AI certainly makes the search for resources more on point. That said, one critique I have is that this is probably how Practical Law should have worked 5 years ago 😂.
And I can’t do this review without mentioning that Practical Law was recently beat up in news reports for hallucinations, meaning false outputs. After reading several articles, I believe some of the concerns are a bit overstated. This article mentions how the research conducted was for primary source research, meaning case law. The Search & Summarize Practical Law results are meant to send you to practical resources in the Westlaw database, not cases. You might want to use Westlaw Precision instead if that is your goal. I will leave you with this. I always say in my reviews that generative AI is not meant to replace lawyers. But it does make life easier. The results you get are akin to what a law clerk might deliver to you, so review the resource citations for accuracy, because it will probably be good, but it might not always be 100% accurate. It’s still maintain it is better than starting from scratch (or using the old Practical Law search bar).
Pricing & Plans
It’s no secret Westlaw comes with premium pricing, and Search & Summarize Practical Law isn’t an exception. Expect to pay extra for this feature, on top of your regular Westlaw subscription. Practical Law subscriptions already range from $150-$500 per user depending on number of seats licensed in a firm and on how well you negotiate. However, specific pricing isn’t readily listed on their site, reports peg this new feature as an add-on service, with pricing tiered based on firm size. Larger firms with deeper pockets will likely negotiate better deals, but solos or boutique firms may find the cost a bit steep without a solid ROI. In my mind, the dependability of the resources makes the product worth a premium, however, I am skeptical of paying more for a search feature, that frankly, makes Practical Law search function more effectively (I would prefer it be priced into the regular Practical Law Product). I recommend booking a demo and seeing how long you can get free access to take it for a test drive.
What Makes It A.I. Enabled?
This isn’t your average keyword-based search tool. Search & Summarize Practical Law uses natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning to not only comb through cases but to also make sense of legal text and summarize it intelligently. It understands context, legal nuances, and citations, which means you don’t just get a cookie-cutter synopsis—you get relevant, tailored information based on your query.
The AI continuously improves based on your search patterns and feedback, meaning the more you use it, the better it becomes at anticipating your needs. And since this is Westlaw we’re talking about, the fear of AI hallucinations—ahem, fake cases—is kept to a minimum with their licensed and vetted legal databases.
Security & Privacy
As expected with Westlaw, security is top-notch. The platform complies with all relevant legal and regulatory standards, ensuring that your client’s confidential information is never used to train the AI models. The data is encrypted in transit and at rest, giving you peace of mind that your legal research is safe from prying eyes. Westlaw’s longstanding reputation as a legal research giant means that you’re in good hands when it comes to keeping your data secure.
The Judgement
Westlaw’s Search & Summarize Practical Law might not be a game-changer for firms already deep in the Westlaw ecosystem, but it’s certainly a time-saver for those who need quick access to practical resources without sacrificing quality. The tool’s AI smarts help bridge the gap between drowning in research and focusing on strategy. It’s on the pricier side, but for firms already paying for Westlaw, it’s a worthy add-on. As far as research assistants go, this one never sleeps and always has the case law ready before your next client call.
Feedback
I’ve reserved a special space each week for you to vent, supplement with relevant info, or ask questions about the product. The only way the content gets better is if you participate. I look forward to hearing from you! You can e-mail me at rc@sabersolutions.co.
