We’re obsessed with a simple question: what would the perfect legal search engine look like?

Every day, we talk to lawyers, watch how they wrestle with clunky databases, and jot down ideas to make their lives easier. Our mission at Modern Legal isn’t to slap AI on an old tool and call it a day—it’s to build a case law search engine that feels like it was made for lawyers, by people who get lawyers. Here’s the roadmap we’re following to get there.

The Problem: Legal Search Feels Like a Maze

We’ve spent hours observing how lawyers search for case law. It’s a slog—endless keyword tweaks, irrelevant results, and interfaces that haven’t changed since the dial-up era. Lawyers aren’t just looking for a case; they’re hunting for the right case, one that fits a specific argument or jurisdiction.

Current tools, built on rigid keyword systems, don’t understand the nuance of a lawyer’s question. We knew we had to rethink search from the ground up.

Our Vision: A Search Engine That Gets It

We want a search engine that works the way lawyers think. Instead of brainstorming the perfect keyword, you just describe the facts of your case in a few sentences—like “a tech company sued for trade secret theft but the claim was dismissed for lack of evidence.” Our AI finds the most relevant cases, fast, with no keyword gymnastics. We’re building this by talking to lawyers, testing ideas, and refining based on what they tell us.

Step 1: Defining the Perfect Legal Search Engine

We started by asking: what does “perfect” mean for legal search? From our conversations, we boiled it down to a few must-haves:

• Understands Intent: It should grasp the meaning behind a question, not just match words. A query about “patent disputes” shouldn’t pull up every patent case—just the ones that fit the context.
• Fast and Fresh: Results need to come in seconds, with the latest court rulings, so lawyers aren’t stuck with stale data.
• Clear and Organized: No walls of links. Cases should come with summaries, sorted by relevance, with filters for jurisdiction or date that don’t require a manual.
• Trustworthy: Every result must tie back to verified sources, so lawyers can check the original text without second-guessing.

Step 2: Building the Fundamental Infrastructure

To hit those goals, we’re designing an infrastructure that’s robust but flexible. Think of it like laying the foundation for a house—it’s got to support everything we want to build now and later. Our setup includes:

• Massive Data Integration: We’re pulling in case law from federal and state courts, plus legal databases, and keeping it updated in real time.
• Scalable Storage: A cloud-based system that can handle millions of cases without slowing down, so searches stay snappy.
• User-Friendly Interface: A clean design that lets lawyers jump in and search without a tutorial, with options to refine results on the fly.

Step 3: A Neural Search Algorithm

The heart of our engine is a neural search algorithm. Unlike old-school keyword systems, this uses AI to map the meaning of cases and queries. When a lawyer asks about “non-compete clauses struck down for overreach,” the algorithm doesn’t just look for those words—it finds cases where the legal reasoning aligns, even if the phrasing differs. We’re training it to prioritize relevance and learn from lawyer feedback, so it gets sharper with every search.

Where We’re Going

Our search engine already saves lawyers hours, turning what used to be half-day research marathons into focused sessions. But we’re not satisfied — we’re aiming for instant results, where you describe your case and get the perfect cases in a blink.

This isn’t about fancy tech for tech’s sake — it’s about giving lawyers a tool that saves time and stress. We’re committed to getting it right, one iteration at a time.

Got Ideas? Talk to Us

We’re building this for lawyers, so we want your input. What’s the one thing you’d want in a case law search engine? Let’s make legal research less of a headache, together.