Deep Research (Legacy)
Deep Research is a legacy AI Assistant mode that produces structured, memo-quality reports by searching across multiple sources and iteratively deepening its analysis.
Deep Research is a legacy mode. It still produces detailed narrative reports, but Agent now delivers better-cited, faster answers for most research queries — try Agent first. Deep Research remains available for users with existing workflows.
To use it, open the mode selector in the AI Assistant and switch from Agent to Deep Research before submitting your query.
How it works
Ask a research question
Enter your question in the AI Assistant with Deep Research toggled on. Example:
"What are the defenses to a breach of fiduciary duty claim in New York?"
Multi-source search
The AI searches across four source categories in parallel:
| Source | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Internal documents | Files uploaded to the current Matter (contracts, memos, exhibits). |
| Case law | U.S. case law via CourtListener's 50M+ citation database. |
| Web | Public legal resources, law review articles, and government sites via Tavily. |
| Statutes | Federal and state statutory databases. |
Iterative deepening
After the initial search, the AI evaluates what it found and identifies knowledge gaps - areas where the results are thin or conflicting. It then runs additional targeted queries to fill those gaps automatically.
This cycle repeats until the AI determines it has sufficient coverage to answer the question comprehensively.
Structured report
The AI produces a research report that includes:
- A direct answer to your question.
- Supporting analysis organized by sub-topic or element.
- Inline citations linking each claim to its source (case, statute, or document).
- A summary of open questions or areas where the law is unsettled.
Fact cache
Deep Research builds a fact cache as you ask follow-up questions within the same session. Prior findings are retained so:
- Follow-up queries start from a richer knowledge base.
- The AI avoids redundant searches for information it already retrieved.
- You can refine or narrow your research incrementally without starting over.
When to use Deep Research
| Scenario | Standard search | Deep Research |
|---|---|---|
| Quick case lookup | Recommended | Overkill |
| Single-issue legal question | Good | Better |
| Multi-element analysis (e.g., "elements of fraud in Texas") | Limited | Recommended |
| Memo or brief preparation | Insufficient | Recommended |
| Cross-jurisdictional comparison | Limited | Recommended |
Deep Research is a legacy mode — it still works for detailed narrative reports, but Agent now produces better-cited, faster answers on the same queries Deep Research was designed for. For quick statute or case lookups, use Case Law Search instead.