AI for Small Law Firms
AI for small law firms, grounded in real law
OpenCase gives a lean practice research it can defend, drafting in the tools you already use, and one place to keep every matter — with each answer traceable to primary law.
Free tier · Verified citations · Trusted by 3,000+ attorneys
Capabilities
What a small firm gets with OpenCase
Verified legal research with citations
Ask a question in plain language and get answers rooted in statutes, case law, and regulations — each linked to the primary source so you can validate it before you file.
Drafting in Word and Google Docs
Draft memos, briefs, and client correspondence with legal grounding, working directly in Microsoft Word and Google Docs instead of copying text between tools.
File upload and analysis
Upload contracts, pleadings, and case files and ask questions across them. Findings point back to the passage and the legal authority that supports them.
File comparison
Compare two documents side by side to surface changed language, missing provisions, and deviations — useful when a solo or small team has no second reader.
Matter organization
Keep research, uploaded files, and drafts organized by matter so a lean team can find what it needs without a heavyweight system to administer.
Calendar and time tracking
Track time as you work, with automatic timesheet proposals from your activity — so billable hours are captured without a dedicated timekeeper.
Outcomes
What changes for a lean practice
The mechanism behind every outcome is the same: research and drafting you can trace to primary law, in one place.
More time on client work
Research and document review that used to fill a day take a fraction of the effort, so attorneys spend their hours on judgment and strategy instead of scanning.
Depth without added headcount
Citation-backed analysis and file comparison give a small team a second set of eyes on every matter, so quality holds without hiring to keep up.
Fewer tools to run
Research, drafting, file analysis, and matter organization live together, so a lean practice avoids stitching several subscriptions into a workflow.
Billable hours captured
Time tracking with automatic timesheet proposals means the work you do gets recorded, even when no one on the team owns timekeeping.
Who it fits
How small firms put it to work
Solo practitioners
Research a question, draft the memo, and check a document without a second attorney to lean on — the citations let you verify the analysis yourself.
Small litigation firms
Pull supporting authority for motions, compare filings, and keep matter files organized so a small team files strong work without a large support staff.
Transactional and general practice
Review agreements, draft clauses with legal grounding, and compare versions across a varied caseload from one place instead of several specialized tools.
Growing practices
Add matters and drafts as the firm grows, with time tracking and organization that keep pace without a heavy system to administer.
Why it is different
Why grounded answers matter for a small firm
Generic AI tools
- Summaries with no sources — you re-check every claim by hand.
- Trained on generic internet text that can be outdated or wrong.
- Enterprise software scaled down, with setup and administration to match.
- A separate tool for research, drafting, and document review.
OpenCase
- Every answer links to the primary legal source, so you can validate it instantly.
- Grounded in verified primary law and recognized legal standards.
- Research, drafting, and organization ready to use, built for a lean team.
- Research, drafting in Word and Google Docs, file analysis, and matters in one place.
Security
Built for confidential legal data
SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001
OpenCase maintains SOC 2 Type II compliance and ISO/IEC 27001 certification, with continuous monitoring and access controls over your data.
Encrypted, never used for training
Your data and documents are encrypted in transit and at rest, and never used to train AI models or shared with other organizations.
Responsible AI governance
AI-assisted workflows follow governance practices aligned with ISO 42001 for transparency and accountability.
Common questions about AI for small law firms
Is AI-assisted legal research reliable enough to rely on?
Every answer includes citations to primary sources like statutes, regulations, and case law that you can open and verify independently. You review and validate before relying on the analysis, just as you would with any research tool — professional judgment stays central.
Will using AI put my client confidentiality at risk?
Your files and queries are encrypted in transit and at rest, and are never used to train AI models or shared with other organizations. OpenCase maintains SOC 2 Type II compliance and ISO/IEC 27001 certification, with access controls over sensitive client data.
Is this built for a solo or small firm, or scaled-down enterprise software?
It is built to be useful for a lean team from day one. Research, drafting, file analysis, and matter organization are ready to use without a heavyweight system to set up and administer.
Can I use it across different practice areas?
Yes. You can research statutes, case law, and regulations across areas of law, review and compare documents, and keep matters organized regardless of practice area — useful for a firm with a varied caseload.
Does it work with the tools my firm already uses?
OpenCase integrates with Microsoft Word, Outlook, Google Docs, Google Drive, Dropbox, and Clio, so you can draft and manage files where you already work rather than moving content between tools.
Does it help with billing and time tracking?
OpenCase includes calendar and time tracking with automatic timesheet proposals from your activity, so billable hours are captured even without a dedicated timekeeper. It does not include an invoicing or trust accounting engine.
How long does it take to get started?
You can create an account and start asking questions right away. The interface works like search — you ask in plain language and get answers with citations — so there is little to learn before you see value.
Start practicing with grounded AI today
Ask your first question and see citation-backed research, in the tools your firm already uses. No credit card required.