Legal document processing agent

How it Works / How to Build It

1. Query Enhancement: This node enhances the user's legal query by identifying key concepts and suggesting synonyms or related terms. It uses the QueryEnhancement node.
2. Document Search: The enhanced query is used to search a legal document database, retrieving relevant documents. This is done using the DocumentSearch node.
3. Cross Reference Analysis: The retrieved documents are analyzed for relevance and cross-referenced against each other to identify key legal principles and potential conflicts. This is handled by the CrossReferenceAnalysis node.
4. Citation Validation: The analysis results are checked for citation accuracy and formatting compliance using the CitationValidation node.
5. Response Synthesis: Findings from the analysis and validated citations are synthesized into a comprehensive legal memorandum using the ResponseSynthesis node.
6. Quality Assurance: The synthesized memorandum undergoes a quality review to ensure accuracy and completeness, facilitated by the QualityAssurance node.
7. Final Outputs: The workflow produces three outputs: validated citations, the legal memorandum, and the source documents analyzed, using the FinalOutputCitations, FinalOutputMemorandum, and FinalOutputSources nodes.

What You Can Use This For

• Legal research and analysis for law firms
• Preparing legal memoranda for court cases
• Ensuring citation compliance in legal documents
• Cross-referencing legal documents for consistency and accuracy

Prerequisites

• Vellum account
• Access to a legal document database
• User queries related to legal issues

How to Set It Up

1. Create a new workflow in your Vellum account.
2. Add the Query Enhancement node and connect it to the Document Search node.
3. Connect the Document Search node to the Cross Reference Analysis node.
4. Link the Cross Reference Analysis node to the Citation Validation node.
5. Connect the Citation Validation node to the Response Synthesis node.
6. Link the Response Synthesis node to the Quality Assurance node.
7. Finally, connect the Quality Assurance node to the Final Output Memorandum and Final Output Citations nodes, and also to the Final Output Sources node.

FAQs

1. Can I adapt this workflow for my own legal database or internal repository?

Yes, the Document Search node can be connected to any structured or unstructured source from public legal archives to private firm databases. Simply replace the search endpoint or vector index connection to make the workflow pull from your internal documents instead of a sample set.

2. How does the agent ensure the legal memorandum is accurate and properly cited?

The workflow includes a Citation Validation node that checks each cited authority for accuracy and format, followed by a Quality Assurance node that performs a secondary review. This two-step structure ensures both legal precision and stylistic consistency before the memorandum is finalized.

3. What if I want to adjust the structure or tone of the final memorandum?

You can modify the Response Synthesis node’s prompt to align with your preferred writing style or template. For example, you can include sections like “Issue,” “Rule,” “Analysis,” and “Conclusion” (IRAC). The output can be further customized with metadata such as jurisdiction or case type.

4. Can I scale this workflow to handle multiple legal queries at once?

Yes, you can batch-process inputs, like uploading a CSV of user queries or integrating via API to handle multiple cases in parallel. Each run will independently produce citations, analysis, and memoranda while maintaining consistent quality control.

5. Is this workflow useful outside of legal research?

Yes, the same pattern applies to any domain where rigorous document retrieval, cross-referencing, and synthesis are needed. This includes things such as policy audits, academic research, or compliance documentation. By swapping out the data source and prompts, you can adapt it for other knowledge-heavy workflows.

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