Question 1

Can Casetext help with legal writing?

Accepted Answer

Casetext, now operating as CoCounsel through Thomson Reuters, provides substantial assistance with legal writing through its AI-powered research capabilities that understand the context and substance of your legal arguments. The platform uses natural language understanding to scan legal briefs and analyze case citations, comprehending your research context rather than just matching keywords like traditional legal databases. You get customized search results that identify on-point authorities faster because the AI understands what legal principles you need to support rather than simply returning every case that mentions your search terms without regard to relevance or persuasive value.

The CARA (Case Analysis Research Assistant) feature analyzes the specific citations and arguments in your draft briefs to suggest additional supporting authorities you might have missed during initial research. This contextual analysis means you upload a section of your brief and CARA identifies gaps where additional case law strengthens your position or flags weaknesses where opposing counsel might find contradictory precedent. The system saves hours of manual citation checking and secondary research that traditionally consumed junior associate time without adding strategic value to your legal arguments.

Beyond research assistance, CoCounsel now provides AI-driven document drafting and review capabilities that extend the original Casetext functionality. You can delegate substantive legal tasks like contract analysis, deposition preparation, and timeline creation to the AI assistant while maintaining attorney oversight and final decision authority. The platform integrates with your existing legal workflows rather than requiring separate systems for research versus writing, letting you transition smoothly between analyzing case law and incorporating authorities into your documents. Most attorneys find the AI suggestions accelerate drafting without replacing the judgment and advocacy skills that distinguish effective legal writing from mere document assembly.

Question 2

Is Casetext.com safe?

Accepted Answer

Casetext operates as a reliable and secure legal research platform, now backed by Thomson Reuters infrastructure after the 2023 acquisition that integrated Casetext technology into the broader Thomson Reuters legal product ecosystem. The platform implements enterprise-grade security measures protecting confidential client information and attorney work product from unauthorized access or data breaches. You maintain attorney-client privilege protections when using the research database because the platform follows legal industry security standards that recognize the sensitive nature of case strategy and client matters. The Thomson Reuters integration adds additional security layers including SOC 2 compliance, regular penetration testing, and data encryption protocols that major law firms require before approving research tools for production use.

The reliability extends beyond technical security to include the accuracy and currency of legal content that determines whether research platforms deliver trustworthy results. Casetext maintains comprehensive case law databases with editorial enhancements and citations that meet professional legal research standards comparable to Westlaw and LexisNexis. You avoid the risks associated with free legal databases where outdated information or missing cases could undermine your legal arguments or violate competence obligations. The AI features like CARA use vetted legal content rather than scraping unreliable internet sources that might include unofficial versions or misattributed opinions.

Most security concerns with legal technology involve protecting client confidentiality and maintaining ethical obligations rather than just preventing hackers from accessing generic user data. Casetext addresses these professional responsibility requirements through access controls, audit trails showing who researched what cases, and data handling practices that align with bar association technology ethics opinions. The Thomson Reuters backing provides additional credibility and financial stability that solo practitioners and small firms consider when evaluating whether a legal tech vendor will maintain long-term service continuity. You minimize risk by reviewing your jurisdiction's specific ethics rules about cloud-based research and ensuring your Casetext usage complies with confidentiality requirements.

Question 3

Is Casetext as good as Westlaw?

Accepted Answer

Casetext holds competitive market position against Westlaw with approximately 32.52% market share compared to Westlaw's 34.80% in the legal research category, indicating the platforms serve comparable functionality for many legal professionals despite Westlaw's slight advantage. The close market share numbers reflect that Casetext delivers sufficient research capabilities to compete directly with the dominant incumbent, particularly after introducing AI-powered features that differentiated it from traditional keyword-based legal databases. You get comprehensive case law coverage, citator services, and secondary sources that satisfy most research needs without the premium pricing that makes Westlaw prohibitively expensive for solo practitioners and small firms operating on limited overhead budgets.

The comparison shifts depending on what specific research tasks you prioritize and what practice areas you serve. Westlaw maintains advantages in certain specialized content areas, editorial enhancements, and integration with other Thomson Reuters products that large firms value for standardized workflows across multiple offices. However, Casetext excels in AI-assisted research through CARA that understands document context better than Westlaw's traditional Boolean search, potentially finding relevant authorities that keyword searches miss entirely. The natural language processing makes Casetext more intuitive for less experienced researchers who struggle with constructing effective Westlaw queries using connectors and field restrictions.

Most attorneys choose between these platforms based on pricing versus specific content needs rather than declaring one universally superior. Westlaw costs significantly more but provides exhaustive coverage and features that justify the expense for litigation practices handling complex cases where missing a single relevant precedent creates malpractice exposure. Casetext offers better value for price-conscious practices where the slightly smaller content database still covers essential research needs without the premium costs. The Thomson Reuters acquisition of Casetext in 2023 created interesting dynamics where the same parent company now owns both competitors, suggesting potential future integration or repositioning that may change the competitive landscape for legal research platforms.

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Casetext: Frequently Asked Questions

Can Casetext help with legal writing?

Is Casetext.com safe?

Is Casetext as good as Westlaw?