Crowdsourcing legal research website adds writing tool that 'could be a game-changer'
The free legal research website Casetext, which uses crowdsourcing to annotate cases, has launched a new writing tool that publishes lawyers’ articles and links them to cases they cite.
The new LegalPad application “could be a game-changer in how lawyers publish and share articles about the law,” according to LawSites by Robert Ambrogi. Users can write articles that are shared with like-minded Casetext community groups based on practice areas and interests. There are links to cases discussed in the articles, and the cases will in turn link to articles.
Casetext founder Jake Heller tells LawSites that his goal is for Casetext to become a place to build legal commentary as well as a tool for legal research. A Casetext press release points out that lawyers who publish articles on the website can build reputations in their specialty areas.
LegalPad also serves as a legal writing tool. When an article writer types in a case name, it is supplied in correct Bluebook form with a hyperlink to the case. A writer can select text from the case, and it will be inserted in the article. Writers will be able to choose the Casetext communities where their articles will appear. LegalTech News, the Legal Insider and Inside Counsel also have stories on LegalPad.
“Legal writing is exceptionally hard. You feel constantly buried in dozens of sources, trying to keep quotes and citations straight,” Heller said in the press release. “We crafted technology to help writers focus on what matters most: developing their message.”
