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Legal Research FAQ

Answers to the most common questions about Judicio's Legal Research feature.

General​

Judicio searches 33 dedicated legal databases across 100+ jurisdictions, alongside your attached documents and the open web. Widely used examples include:

  • CanLII -- Canadian federal and provincial case law and legislation
  • CourtListener -- United States federal and state case law
  • Indian Kanoon -- Indian Supreme Court, High Court, and tribunal decisions
  • UK Case Law -- United Kingdom courts and tribunals
  • EUR-Lex -- European Union legislation, case law, and treaties

These are five of the 33 dedicated databases, not the full set. For jurisdictions covered by a dedicated database, Judicio searches the authority directly; for the rest of the 100+ supported jurisdictions, it researches across the open web alongside any dedicated source. See Jurisdictions for the full list.

How current is the data?​

The dedicated legal databases (for example CanLII, CourtListener, Indian Kanoon, UK Case Law, and EUR-Lex) are updated regularly, typically within days of new decisions or legislation being published. The exact update frequency depends on each source database's own publication schedule.

Can I research multiple jurisdictions at once?​

Yes. Select multiple jurisdictions in the query composer and Judicio searches all of them. For comparative research, frame your query as a comparison (e.g., "Compare the law on X in jurisdiction A and jurisdiction B") and Judicio structures the results accordingly.

Is my research confidential?​

Yes. Your research queries, context files, and results are private to your project. They are not shared with other users or used to train AI models. Team members with access to your project can see your research sessions.

Queries​

How should I write my research query?​

Write your query in plain language, as if you were briefing a colleague. Type it straight into the composer — the box reads "Ask anything or select a file to analyse" — and include the specific legal issue, relevant facts, and what type of analysis you need. See Composing Queries for detailed guidance and examples.

Is there a confirmation step before research starts?​

No. When you click the arrow send button, Judicio starts researching straight away — there is no separate confirm or review dialog. Set your jurisdiction, tone, and Deep Mode using the chip row under the composer before you send, since the run begins immediately.

Can I use Boolean operators or field searches?​

Judicio is designed for natural language queries, not Boolean search. You do not need to use AND, OR, NOT, or field codes. Simply describe what you are looking for and the AI handles the search logic. In practice, natural language queries often produce better results because the AI understands legal context and synonyms.

What is the maximum query length?​

There is no strict character limit, but queries between 50 and 500 words tend to produce the best results. Very short queries may be too vague, while very long queries may dilute the focus. If you need to provide extensive background, attach a context file rather than putting everything in the query text.

Can I reuse or modify a previous query?​

Yes. All queries are saved in your research history. Select any previous query to view its results, re-run it, or modify and re-submit it.

Citations and accuracy​

How accurate are the citations?​

Judicio extracts citations directly from the source material and formats them according to the appropriate citation standard for each jurisdiction. Citation accuracy is high, but you should always verify citations against the original source before relying on them in filings, advice, or submissions.

AI-generated research is a tool, not a replacement for professional judgment

Judicio's Legal Research is designed to assist legal professionals, not to replace them. Always exercise independent professional judgment when relying on research results. Verify citations, check for recent developments, and consider whether the AI's analysis correctly applies to your specific facts.

Can the AI hallucinate cases?​

Like all AI systems, Judicio can occasionally generate inaccurate citations or misattribute holdings. Judicio mitigates this risk by grounding its research in source databases and providing links to the original material so you can verify. The confidence indicator helps flag findings that may need closer review.

What do the confidence levels mean?​

  • High -- The finding is directly supported by clear source material. Citation and holding are unambiguous.
  • Medium -- The finding is well-supported but involves some interpretation. The source may be from a lower court or contain some ambiguity.
  • Low -- Limited source material, older authority, or tangential relevance. Review the source carefully.

Follow-up and conversation​

Can I ask follow-up questions?​

Yes. Your research session supports multi-turn conversation. After reviewing results, type a follow-up question and the AI refines its analysis using the full context of your conversation. Follow-up questions use fewer credits than new queries because the AI builds on existing results.

How many follow-ups can I ask?​

There is no hard limit on follow-up questions within a single research session. However, very long conversations may eventually lose coherence. If the conversation becomes unwieldy, consider starting a new query with a refined question.

Can I continue a research session later?​

Yes. All research sessions are saved to your project. Select a previous session to resume the conversation from where you left off.

Context files​

Do I need to attach context files?​

No. Context files are optional but strongly recommended when your research relates to a specific matter. Attaching the relevant contract, brief, or case file helps the AI tailor its research to your specific facts and issues.

What file formats are supported?​

Context files can be in any format supported by Judicio, including PDF, DOCX, DOC, and image formats (via OCR).

Do context files affect credit usage?​

Yes. Processing context files requires additional credits because the AI reads and analyzes them as part of the research query. Larger files use more credits. If you only need the AI to consider specific sections, extract those into a shorter document.

Drafts and output​

Can I generate a document from my research?​

Yes. Select Generate Draft to create a legal memo, brief, or analysis document based on your research findings. See Working with Drafts for details.

Can I export research results without generating a draft?​

Yes. Select Export to download the raw research results as a formatted document (PDF or DOCX) without going through the draft generation process.

Can multiple team members collaborate on a draft?​

Yes. Drafts are saved to your project and accessible to all team members with project access. Changes are tracked in the version history.

Credits and pricing​

How many credits does a research query cost?​

Credit usage depends on several factors:

  • Number of jurisdictions searched
  • Query complexity and length
  • Context files attached (larger files use more credits)
  • Follow-up questions (use fewer credits than new queries)
  • Draft generation (uses additional credits)

See Credits Explained for current pricing.

Credit Cost

Follow-up questions within the same research session use significantly fewer credits than starting a new query, because the AI builds on existing search results rather than performing a full new search.

What happens if I run out of credits during research?​

If your credits are exhausted mid-query, Judicio completes the current search step and delivers partial results. You can purchase additional credits and either continue with follow-up questions or re-run the query for complete results.

Does viewing or exporting results use credits?​

No. Only the initial research query, follow-up questions, and draft generation consume credits. Viewing results, switching between sessions, and exporting are free.

Troubleshooting​

My query returned no results.​

Try the following:

  1. Broaden the query -- If your question is very narrow, the AI may not find relevant authority. Rephrase with broader legal concepts.
  2. Check jurisdictions -- Make sure you selected jurisdictions where the legal issue is likely to have been litigated.
  3. Remove date filters -- If you applied a date range filter, try removing it to search all time periods.
  4. Try a different source type -- If you filtered to case law only, try including legislation, or vice versa.

The results seem irrelevant.​

  1. Make your query more specific -- Include the specific legal issue, relevant facts, and the type of analysis you need.
  2. Attach context files -- Giving the AI your documents helps it focus on the issues that matter to your matter.
  3. Use follow-up questions -- Ask the AI to focus on a specific aspect of the results or exclude irrelevant topics.
  4. Try a template -- Research templates are designed to produce targeted results for common query types.

While rare, citation links can occasionally point to the wrong page within a source database. If a link does not lead to the expected decision:

  1. Copy the case name and citation from the results.
  2. Search for it directly in the source database (CanLII, CourtListener, etc.).
  3. Report the broken link to Judicio support so we can correct the mapping.

Research is taking longer than expected.​

Research time depends on query complexity, the number of jurisdictions, and context file size. Multi-jurisdictional queries with attached context files can take up to 5 minutes. If research is taking significantly longer:

  1. Check your internet connection.
  2. Try a simpler query to confirm the system is responsive.
  3. Contact support if the issue persists.