Getting Started with Case Strategy
This guide walks you through building your first strategy report from start to finish — what to click, what to select, and what happens at each step — then shows you how to read the report, what the citation trust badges mean, and how scenarios and the moot court work. The whole flow is shown in the looping demo below; the steps beneath it break it down.
- A Judicio account with an active subscription or free trial
- A description of the matter — case files from your File Library (pleadings, orders, evidence, correspondence) are optional but recommended
- Enough credits for the run — your balance is shown in the top bar. See Credits Explained.
Build your first strategy
Open Case Strategy
Click Case Strategy in the left sidebar. You land on the Case Strategy home: a prompt that reads "What case strategy shall we build today?", the three ways to start (Ask Judicio, Smart Suggestions, Templates), and the composer.
The composer is ready as soon as you land — describe the matter and you can generate straight away, with or without case files.
Attach your case files (optional, recommended)
Open the Files panel and tick the documents the strategy should be built from. Each selected file appears as a chip, and you can remove one with its ✕.
Case files are optional — the grounds, opposing arguments and provisions are researched against live case-law databases either way. Attaching files is where they earn their keep: the report grounds its evidence analysis in your actual record, the cross-examination questions draw on what the documents say, and the evidence gaps point at what your record is missing. If you start without files, the composer notes that the strategy will rely on your description alone.
The report is only as good as the record it reads. When you do attach files, select everything that frames the matter — the pleadings and orders, the key evidence, and the correspondence — not just one document.
Declare the side you act for
Click the Acting for chip under the composer and pick your side — Petitioner, Respondent, Plaintiff, Defendant, Appellant, Complainant, Accused, or Prosecution. Acting in a different capacity? Type it in — e.g. "Intervenor", "Third party", "Amicus".
This one choice shapes the whole report: the grounds are built for your side, and the opposing arguments are the ones coming at you.
The chips row also shows Jurisdiction (India at launch) and Deep Mode — toggle Deep Mode on for more thorough sourcing and analysis on complex matters.
Describe the matter
On the Ask Judicio tab, describe the case and the outcome you need in plain language — for example:
We act for the complainant in a S.138 NI Act appeal against acquittal — build grounds and anticipate the defence.
Then click Generate strategy. Prefer not to type? Switch tabs:
- Smart Suggestions — Judicio proposes strategy runs based on your selected files; pick one to use it.
- Templates — start from playbooks for common matter types (bail, injunctions, writs, appeals), each pre-filled with a side and focus points.
Confirm the estimate
Before any credits are spent, Judicio shows a confirmation with your attached files (or a note that none are attached), the side you declared, the request, and the credit cost — 15 credits for a standard run, 35 credits with Deep Mode (you can flip Deep Mode here too). Review it and start the run.
Judicio builds the strategy
The run streams its progress live: profiling the matter, framing the issues, building grounds for your side, anticipating the opposition — and verifying every citation it relies on. You can navigate away while it runs — Judicio notifies you when the report is ready and the run keeps its place in your history.
Work the report
The finished report opens in a two-pane workspace: the grounds rail on one side, the full strategy memo on the other. Click any ground to focus it — its authorities, the opposing argument it must survive, and the rebuttal sit together. When you're done, Export the report to PDF or Word. See Understanding the Report for a guided tour of every section.
What the report contains
- Issues — the questions the matter actually turns on.
- Numbered grounds for your side, each with a strength rating (strong / moderate / weak) so you know where to lead and where to shore up.
- Opposing arguments with rebuttals — what the other side will run, paired with your answer.
- Authorities — the case law relied on, each carrying a citation trust badge (below).
- Provisions — the statutory provisions in play.
- Evidence gaps — what the record is missing and what to gather before the hearing.
- Speaking notes — a spoken-argument skeleton for the hearing.
- Cross-examination questions — lines of questioning drawn from the record.
- Neutral evaluation — an honest, side-blind read of where the case stands.
Case Strategy is preparation support, not legal advice. Every authority is linked so a click confirms it — read the key cases yourself before relying on them.
Citation trust badges
Every authority in the report is checked before you see it:
| Badge | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Verified | The citation resolved in the public citator and the case name matches. |
| Mismatch | A judgment was found, but it doesn't line up with the proposition — treat with care. |
| Unresolvable | The citation could not be resolved, so nothing was checked. |
Verified authorities also carry a treatment status where later cases have dealt with them: followed, distinguished, overruled, or superseded — so an authority that is no longer good law can't ambush you at the hearing. The full badge vocabulary — and what to do about each — is in Verified Authorities.
Scenarios
Once a report is ready you can stress-test it: ask "what if the limitation defence fails?" or "what if the key witness turns hostile?". Each scenario runs as a named child version of the report showing how the strategy shifts, so the original stays intact and the versions stay comparable in the version strip. A scenario costs 5 credits. See Scenarios.
Moot court
When the strategy is ready, argue it. A moot court session simulates the hearing in one of three modes:
- Opposing counsel — spar with the other side: they attack your grounds, you answer with your authorities.
- Bench grilling — face the judge alone: rapid-fire questions on your weakest points, interjections included.
- Full moot — the complete courtroom: opposing counsel argues, the bench interjects, you close.
A session runs up to roughly 20 turns and ends with a feedback scorecard — which arguments held, which faltered, and which authorities you missed. Each session costs 10 credits. See Moot Court for the courtroom rail, the interjection chips, and the scorecard.
Next steps
- Understanding the Report — read both panes of the workspace like a pro.
- Verified Authorities — act on the trust and treatment badges.
- Scenarios — stress-test the report's weakest ground.
- Moot Court — book a session before your next hearing.
- Exporting & Drafting — the evidence pack, and carrying a ground into Drafting.
- FAQ — answers to common questions.