It’s not every bathroom break that gives birth to an innovative idea, but this was the case for Bradley Neal, a third-year law student at The George Washington University Law School. A chance spark of inspiration led Neal to create Lexplug, a generative AI tool designed to assist law students in understanding and briefing cases.
A missed portion of a lecture, combined with a gap in a case summary, drove Neal to test the potential of GPT-4 in answering questions about law cases. The surprising ease with which the AI provided accurate responses prompted Neal to wonder if it could be further used to generate case briefs. This led to the development and recent launch of Lexplug, a platform designed to make case interactions more efficient and engaging for law students.
Lexplug functions primarily as a library of case briefs, all created by Neal via GPT-4. Neal has so far produced over 7,000 briefs, with an ambitious aim to increase this number to around 50,000 by year’s end. To prioritize which case to brief, Neal analyzed key cases extracted from various basic law school syllabi, such as constitutional law and torts. Neal ensured the accuracy of the AI-generated briefs through rigorous grading and refinement processes.
In addition to case briefs, Lexplug features two innovative tools designed to aid students’ comprehension and interaction with cases. The first tool, Gunnerbot, furnishes a chat interface where students can query about cases, receiving answers based solely on the text of the case. The second tool, labeled ‘Explain Like I’m 5’ mode, simplifies legal jargon into layman’s terms, making it easier for users to grasp the supplied information.
Neal also plans to launch a feature permitting users to create on-the-fly case briefs. Upon searching for a currently unbriefed case, Lexplug will direct users to a page where they can enter the case name and citation. Within approximately 90 seconds, they receive the brief along with a Gunnerbot for the case, both of which subsequently become part of the system for all users.
Lexplug currently charges a $9 monthly fee, post its seven-day free trial period. Neal’s intended competitor, according to him, is Quimbee, which boasts of approximately 45,500 case briefs, with a monthly subscription cost of $19.
It should be noted that Neal is no stranger to tech project development. His portfolio includes a podcast, The Supreme Court: Oral Arguments, a voice chat channel called Channel 42, and a Chrome extension legal research assistant, Counsel Companion. Regardless of where his post-law school journey takes him, it seems likely that Neal’s path will continue to intersect with legal tech innovations.
Find more details in the full report here.