Introduction

Legal information is always changing. As an attorney or research librarian, keeping your knowledge up-to-date on your topic or practice area is essential in providing clients the best legal counsel.

The advent of AI is transforming the way global law firms conduct research. A recent study says law firms using AI-powered legal research tools saw productivity boosts up to 30%, allowing legal professionals to tackle more cases, without sacrificing quality of service.

Especially when you’re required to do legislative and regulatory monitoring on an international scale, in areas your firm may be unfamiliar with, and in which laws and regulations vary, depending on the jurisdiction, it’s important to keep your research processes as efficient as possible with research tools, such as legislative tracking software.

Why Traditional Legal Research Methods Fall Short

Traditional legal research methods include:

• Popular legal databases
• RSS feeds
• Agency newsletters
• News sources

Limited Legal Content

Databases are the most common way to identify and assess legislative and regulatory materials, relevant to your focus area and jurisdiction.

But, particularly for global firms, research sometimes goes beyond new and amended bills and regulations. Practice groups may need to know about more granular updates – such as legislative activity that occurs in between bills getting updated, including meetings, hearings and debate.Or, it’ll be specific forms and documents from an agency of interest.

In order to provide clients with timely, well-informed legal guidance, attorneys often need to know about the specific movements happening around a bill and regulatory updates.

Legal research tools often do not have this kind of specific coverage.

Research teams have to turn to alternative means of extracting this information from the web, such as RSS feeds, but these are becoming increasingly uncommon on government websites.

Slow Alerts

For more time sensitive updates, database alerts tend to lag. With a premium add-on, WestLaw can send alerts as soon as 15 minutes after an update occurs. But a delay of a couple hours, or even days, isn’t uncommon.

Agency newsletters, as well, are a common option, albeit without the real-time benefit.

When your attorney needs to know about an urgent development, as soon as it happens, these delays can seriously interfere with your firm’s quality of service.

Best AI Legal Research Tools for Law Firms

There is lots of legislative tracking software to choose from. Depending on the types of legal material you need, the jurisdictions you need to monitor and the required granularity, some tools will work better for your research needs than others.

Read on for the best AI legal research tools for law firms in 2025.

1. Visualping

Visualping is a versatile web tracking tool that can monitor any web page with AI. It's commonly used by law firms as a legislative and regulatory tracking software.

When an update occurs, you get an email alert that includes an AI-generated summary of the page change, distilled in two to three lines. The alert also includes a screenshot of the page, with the changes highlighted.

Best for

• Teams looking to monitor any granular legislative and regulatory information that is not otherwise covered by research databases, newsletters and other means.

• A supplementary means of extracting legal information, alongside other legal research tools, for a more efficient and effective research process.

From its database of over a hundred thousand web sources, Visualping’s team can create a customized set of web sources that match your criteria – such as by practice area, content type, topic and jurisdiction of interest.

As a website change monitoring tool, you can also add your own web sources.

Top Features

• Limitless content scope: from its database, Visualping monitors hundreds of thousands of legislative and regulatory web sources, for any kind of legal and regulatory updates you need.

• Real-time alerts: Get notified of a change within two minutes of it getting published on the original web source.

• Cut through the noise with AI: Only get notified of updates that match your custom criteria, so you’re not sifting through irrelevant alerts.

Visualping by 98% of AMLaw 100, and the world’s top 25 global law firms, to monitor any legislative and regulatory changes, otherwise not available in your legal research databases.

2. Casetext

Casetext is a powerful legal research platform that utilizes CoCounsel, its AI-powered assistant, to enhance research efficiency. CoCounsel can analyze documents, summarize cases, and provide relevant legal arguments based on user inquiries.

This tool offers unique features like “Smart Cite,” which allows users to verify citations in real-time, ensuring accuracy. Casetext’s extensive database of cases, statutes, and secondary sources, combined with its AI capabilities, enables lawyers to conduct thorough research quickly. By reducing the time spent on preliminary research, Casetext allows firms to dedicate more resources to client work and case strategy.

3. ROSS Intelligence

ROSS Intelligence leverages AI to provide answers to legal questions in real-time. Using natural language processing, ROSS allows lawyers to ask questions in plain English and receive tailored responses backed by relevant case law and statutes. This functionality not only accelerates the research process but also enhances understanding of complex legal issues.

ROSS's continuous learning capabilities mean it improves over time, adapting to the specific needs of a law firm. By streamlining the initial research phase, ROSS enables attorneys to focus on applying insights rather than getting bogged down in data gathering.

4. Fastcase

Fastcase is a cloud-based legal research platform that uses AI to help lawyers find cases and statutes quickly. Its visual search tools and “CaseMap” feature enable users to visualize case law connections, making it easier to navigate complex legal topics. Fastcase also offers a mobile app, allowing attorneys to conduct research on the go. The platform’s cost-effectiveness makes it an attractive option for smaller firms or solo practitioners. By combining traditional research methods with innovative technology, Fastcase empowers lawyers to perform thorough and efficient legal research without incurring high costs.

5. Judicata

Judicata offers an AI-driven platform that focuses on case law research and analysis. Its key feature, the “Brief Builder,” helps lawyers draft briefs by providing relevant case citations and arguments based on the issues at hand. The platform’s analytics tools allow attorneys to understand case trends and outcomes, improving their ability to predict litigation results. Judicata’s focus on providing actionable insights rather than just raw data ensures that lawyers can leverage research findings effectively. By streamlining brief preparation and enhancing strategic planning, Judicata significantly boosts a law firm’s research efficiency.

6. Legal Robot

Legal Robot employs AI to analyze legal documents and ensure compliance with established legal standards. It focuses on language clarity, structure, and legal concepts, helping lawyers draft more effective documents. Legal Robot's unique ability to provide automated feedback on contracts and agreements allows attorneys to spot potential issues early in the drafting process. By enhancing document accuracy and readability, Legal Robot supplements legal research by ensuring that lawyers can produce high-quality, compliant documents without extensive manual review.

7. Evisort

Evisort utilizes AI to streamline contract management and legal research processes. It automates the extraction of key terms and clauses from contracts, allowing lawyers to quickly assess legal documents without manual review. Evisort’s robust search capabilities enable attorneys to find relevant clauses and compare contracts across different matters, improving efficiency. By integrating contract analysis with legal research, Evisort helps lawyers make informed decisions based on data-driven insights, ultimately enhancing their practice and client service.

8. Everlaw

Everlaw is an innovative legal research and case management platform that incorporates AI to optimize the litigation process. Its advanced search features allow attorneys to find relevant case law, documents, and evidence efficiently. Everlaw also provides powerful collaboration tools that enable teams to work together seamlessly on research and case preparation. By automating routine tasks and enhancing document management, Everlaw allows lawyers to focus on strategy and argument development. This holistic approach to legal research not only improves efficiency but also fosters a collaborative environment for legal teams.

These tools collectively enhance legal research by reducing time spent on data retrieval, improving accuracy, and providing actionable insights, thus allowing lawyers to focus on strategic aspects of their practice.

9. Bloomberg Law

Bloomberg Law integrates AI and analytics to provide a comprehensive legal research experience. Its unique features include advanced litigation analytics, which helps attorneys understand trends in case law and judge behavior. Bloomberg Law also offers tools for tracking legal developments and a vast library of news and commentary, providing context to legal research. The platform’s customizable dashboards and alerts keep lawyers informed of relevant changes in the law, enhancing their ability to provide timely advice. By supplementing traditional research methods with real-time insights and analytics, Bloomberg Law helps lawyers stay ahead of the curve.

Final Note

In summary, AI legal research tools are not just fancy add-ons; they're crucial for staying on top of the legal information your clients need. It's high time for lawyers to embrace these innovations and enhance their workflows.

So, if you’re serious about optimizing your legal research, check out Visualping's pricing here. Or, get in touch today. Your future self (and clients) will thank you.