AI News
28 Feb 2026
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CoCounsel AI legal assistant How to cut research time
CoCounsel AI legal assistant speeds legal research and drafting, cutting lawyers' research time daily.
CoCounsel AI legal assistant helps lawyers cut research time by automating legal search, document review, and first-draft writing. Backed by Thomson Reuters’ deep archives and Anthropic’s AI, it now serves over one million users. Firms report faster answers, fewer errors, and clearer citations—without replacing human judgment.
Thomson Reuters just showed why focus beats hype in legal tech. Its stock jumped after the company said its AI assistant topped one million users. The move also followed Anthropic’s note that Thomson Reuters uses its AI in products. Investors had worried that new AI tools could disrupt software revenue, but real adoption eased those fears.
State the client, court, and jurisdiction.
List key issues, deadlines, and preferred sources.
Upload pleadings, contracts, or prior research memos for context.
Use clear, narrow prompts: “In the Second Circuit, what is the current standard for X?”
Add facts and dates. Name the statute or rule.
Request citations with pinpoint pages.
Ask for direct quotes and show‑your‑work links.
Follow up: “Check if this case is still good law.”
Compare jurisdictions side by side to find the best venue or argument.
Generate a first draft with headings and cited authority.
Insert client facts into model forms or clauses.
Turn research notes into a motion outline in minutes.
Summarize long records and flag what matters.
Pull dates, parties, and issues into a timeline.
Spot missing exhibits or inconsistent terms across files.
Save winning prompts for recurring tasks.
Standardize intake checklists and brief structures.
Share team libraries so every lawyer starts ahead.
“List the top five controlling cases on [issue] in [jurisdiction], with holdings and key quotes.”
“Explain how courts distinguish [Case A] from [Case B]. Include citations.”
“Draft a motion to dismiss for [claim], using [jurisdiction] law and the following facts: [facts]. Provide citations.”
“Rewrite this argument for a judge unfamiliar with the technology. Keep the same citations.”
“Summarize this 200‑page agreement. Flag non‑market terms and missing protections.”
“Extract all deadlines and notice periods into a table.”
Verify every key citation and quote before filing.
Cross‑check holdings against primary sources.
Limit uploads to what you must share for the task.
Use firm-approved settings and access controls.
Save prompts, drafts, and source lists in the matter file.
Note what the tool did versus what you confirmed.
Track hours for common tasks: 50‑state survey, motion draft, contract review.
Record turnaround times and revision cycles.
Target 30–60% time savings on first drafts and cite pulls.
Count fewer rounds of edits when drafts start with solid authority.
Faster answers win clients and keep matters on schedule.
Consistent outputs reduce risk and rework.
Choose one practice area and two repeatable tasks.
Assign a lead partner, a power user, and a coordinator.
Teach prompt patterns, not just buttons.
Share do/don’t examples from live matters.
Connect to your document system and citation tools first.
Add deeper integrations after the pilot proves value.
Collect metrics and lawyer feedback every week.
Lock in wins with playbooks and templates.
Lawyers need speed and accuracy at once. With one million users and access to exclusive legal content, the CoCounsel AI legal assistant shows that both are possible. Use it to handle the heavy lift—research, review, and first drafts—so you can focus on strategy, judgment, and client outcomes.
Why this legal AI milestone matters
Market signal
Thomson Reuters shares rose more than 11%, the biggest one-day gain since 2009. That surge came as proof that lawyers are not only testing AI—they are using it at scale for real work.Content advantage
The company says its legal systems draw on exclusive materials: centuries of British legal papers and over a hundred years of U.S. archives, much of it not public or even digitized. That depth helps find on-point authority and reduces the risk of made‑up citations.Engine and ecosystem
The assistant grew from the 2023 purchase of Casetext for $650 million. It powers CoCounsel Legal, which automates research, document review, and drafting. Anthropic’s models help drive the experience inside legal workflows.Business impact
Legal Professionals is the company’s biggest unit, producing about one‑third of revenue. Strong AI use in law firms matters for the whole business, not just a side bet.How to cut research time with CoCounsel AI legal assistant
Set up the matter
Ask targeted questions
Validate and expand
Draft faster from sources
Triage document review
Create reusable playbooks
Prompts and workflows that work
Research
Drafting
Review
Quality, risk, and ethics
Keep a human in the loop
Protect confidentiality
Build an audit trail
Rely on strong sources
Thomson Reuters points to a “fiduciary‑grade” approach: trustworthy content, expert curation, and governance. That foundation matters when your name is on the filing.Measuring time saved and ROI
Set a baseline
Measure after rollout
Show value beyond hours
Getting started in weeks
Pick the right pilot
Train for outcomes
Integrate lightly
Close the loop
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FAQ
Q: What is CoCounsel AI legal assistant and what does it do?
A: The CoCounsel AI legal assistant automates legal search, document review and first-draft writing to help lawyers cut research time. It is backed by Thomson Reuters’ deep archives and Anthropic’s AI and now serves over one million users.
Q: How does CoCounsel help reduce research time in practice?
A: By automating tasks like targeted searches, citation pulls, summarizing long records and generating first drafts, the CoCounsel AI legal assistant reduces hours spent on research and drafting. Firms report faster answers, fewer errors and clearer citations while lawyers retain final judgment.
Q: What setup steps yield the best results with CoCounsel AI legal assistant?
A: To get the best results, set up the matter by stating the client, court and jurisdiction, listing key issues and deadlines, and uploading pleadings or prior memos for context. The CoCounsel AI legal assistant uses that context to produce more accurate research and drafts.
Q: What prompts and workflows work best for legal research and drafting with CoCounsel?
A: Use clear, narrow prompts such as “List the top five controlling cases on [issue] in [jurisdiction], with holdings and key quotes” or “Draft a motion to dismiss for [claim] using [jurisdiction] law and the following facts.” The CoCounsel AI legal assistant performs best when prompts include facts, statutes and requests for citations or pinpoint pages.
Q: How should lawyers verify CoCounsel’s outputs to avoid errors or made-up citations?
A: Lawyers should verify every key citation and cross-check holdings against primary sources, and they can ask for direct quotes and show-your-work links from the tool. The CoCounsel AI legal assistant can provide source links, but human review is required before filing.
Q: What confidentiality and audit practices are recommended when using CoCounsel?
A: Limit uploads to only necessary materials, use firm-approved settings and access controls, and save prompts, drafts and source lists in the matter file to build an audit trail. The CoCounsel AI legal assistant should be used within these governance practices to protect confidentiality and document what the tool did versus what lawyers confirmed.
Q: How can law firms measure time saved and ROI from CoCounsel?
A: Set a baseline by tracking hours for common tasks like 50-state surveys, motion drafts and contract review, and record turnaround times and revision cycles. After rollout, compare metrics and target 30–60% time savings on first drafts and citation pulls to gauge ROI from the CoCounsel AI legal assistant.
Q: What are best practices for piloting and rolling out CoCounsel in a firm?
A: Start with a focused pilot in one practice area and two repeatable tasks, assign a lead partner, a power user and a coordinator, and train teams on prompt patterns. Integrate lightly by connecting document and citation systems first, collect metrics and feedback weekly, and then scale the CoCounsel AI legal assistant with playbooks and templates.
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