LawSage: The Universal Public Defender

Democratizing Legal Access for Everyone

LawSage is an open-source, AI-powered platform designed to empower individuals representing themselves in court (Pro Se litigants). By leveraging advanced AI models and real-time legal grounding, LawSage analyzes your unique legal situation and generates a personalized, court-admissible roadmap and legal filings.

Legal Disclaimer: I am an AI, not an attorney. This tool provides legal information, not legal advice. Use of this tool does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Key Advancements (v4.0)

LawSage has undergone a transformative evolution! The latest version is now a resilient, high-performance 'zero-infrastructure' platform with enhanced capabilities. This means:

• URL-Based State Persistence: Zero-DB state synchronization using lz-string compression to store Virtual Case Folder metadata and summaries directly in the URL hash, enabling persistent sessions without external storage.
• API Request Consolidation: Unified 'Structural Hardening' suite combining Adversarial Strategy, Procedural Roadmap, and Local Logistics into a single batch request to minimize Gemini API latency and token usage.
• Optimized Document Processing: Client-side image downscaling and grayscaling before transmission to OCR endpoints, preventing Vercel Hobby tier timeouts and improving performance.
• High-Reliability Static Grounding: Static legal_lookup.json containing the top 100 pro se procedural rules for instant, zero-latency research of common queries without API calls.
• Virtual Case Folder Architecture: Leverages Gemini 2.5 Flash's long context to analyze multiple documents simultaneously, enabling cross-document reasoning without external vector databases.
• Adversarial Strategy Component: Automatically generates opposition arguments and 'red-teams' your case to identify potential weaknesses and counterarguments.
• Procedural Grounding Enhancement: Retrieves and validates Local Rules of Court (county/district level) in addition to general statutes for comprehensive procedural compliance.
• Pro Se Survival Guide UI: Displays hyper-local logistical data (courthouse addresses, filing fees, and dress codes) fetched via real-time search in a dedicated tab.
• No External Backend Required: The entire application, including the AI processing, runs within Vercel's Edge Functions. No need to host a separate FastAPI server.
• Multimodal OCR: Upload images of legal documents (summonses, notices, complaints) for AI-powered text extraction and analysis.
• Professional Court Templates: Generate filings with built-in, court-standard formatting and caption templates ready for PDF export.
• Simplified Deployment: Deploy the entire application with a single click on Vercel.
• Citation Verification: Real-time verification of legal citations against 'good law' using Gemini Web Search tool.
• Export to Word: Direct export functionality to generate professional .docx documents compatible with legal workflows (Clio/Word).
• Interactive Next Steps Checklist: Proactive procedural timeline that maps out actionable steps with due dates and status tracking.
• Vercel Hobby Tier Optimized: Client-side rate limiting and edge runtime optimization to stay within free tier limits.

Features

• Voice Input: Describe your legal situation naturally using your microphone.
• Virtual Case Folder: Upload and analyze multiple legal documents simultaneously for comprehensive cross-document analysis.
• Adversarial Strategy: Automatic generation of opposition arguments and 'red-team' analysis to identify potential weaknesses in your case.
• Jurisdiction-Specific Analysis: Tailor your legal strategy and filings to your specific state or federal jurisdiction (all 50 U.S. states and Federal).
• AI-Powered Strategy: Receive clear, plain-language analysis and a step-by-step procedural roadmap.
• Court-Admissible Filings: Generate draft legal documents (motions, answers, etc.) formatted for court submission.
• Real-Time Grounding: All responses are grounded in current statutes and legal resources, with direct links to authoritative sources.
• Local Rules Compliance: Retrieves and validates Local Rules of Court (county/district level) for procedural compliance.
• Pro Se Survival Guide: Dedicated UI tab displaying hyper-local logistical data (courthouse addresses, filing fees, dress codes) fetched via real-time search.
• Local & Private: Your data never leaves your browser. Your API key is stored securely in your browser's localStorage.
• URL-Based State Persistence: Comprehensive case data and analysis results are automatically saved to and restored from the URL hash, eliminating the need for external storage.
• Zero-DB Architecture: No traditional SQL/NoSQL database required - all state is managed through compressed URL fragments.
• Comprehensive History: Save and revisit your past cases with a full audit trail. Import and export your history as JSON.
• Export & Share: Copy all content to your clipboard or download your filings as a Markdown (.md) file, PDF, or Word (.docx) document.
• OCR for Evidence: Upload images of legal documents to extract text and analyze them alongside your description.
• Optimized Image Processing: Client-side downscaling and grayscaling of images before transmission to prevent API timeouts and reduce bandwidth usage.
• Court-Standard Formatting: Automatically generate filings with professional court captions and formatting for PDF printing.
• Structured Output: AI responses are validated for reliability, ensuring mandatory disclaimers, legal citations, and a clear procedural roadmap.
• Robust Reliability Layer: A multi-layered system ensures safety, accuracy, and structural completeness of every output.
• Static Procedural Knowledge Base: Instant access to the top 100 pro se procedural rules without API calls for common legal queries.
• Structural Hardening Validation: Implements a strict 'Mission Contract' that enforces deterministic AI output compliance, mandating the presence of at least three verifiable legal citations, a procedural roadmap, adversarial strategy, and local court logistics in every response.
• Citation Verification: Verify legal citations in real-time to ensure they are still 'good law' using the Verify Citation button.
• Interactive Next Steps Checklist: Track your legal progress with a proactive checklist featuring due dates and status indicators.
• Human-in-the-Loop Verification: Proactive legal agent with verification layers to prevent hallucinations and ensure accuracy.

Technology Stack

LawSage is built on a modern, performant full-stack architecture:

• Frontend & Backend: Next.js 16 (React 19) with Tailwind CSS and Lucide Icons. The entire backend logic now runs on Vercel Edge Functions.
• AI Engine: Google Gemini 2.5 Flash (via the Google AI Python SDK) with web search grounding for real-time legal research.
• AI Safety & Structure: A multi-layered Reliability Layer ensures consistent, safe output with mandatory disclaimers, citation validation, and structural hardening.
• State Management: URL-based state persistence using lz-string compression for zero-DB architecture.
• Static Grounding Layer: Embedded procedural rules database for instant legal research without API calls.
• Document Generation: Docx library for professional Word (.docx) export functionality.
• Rate Limiting: Client-side rate limiting utility for Vercel Hobby Tier compliance.
• Deployment: Optimized for seamless deployment on Vercel.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18+ recommended)
• A Google Gemini API Key (Get one from the Google AI Studio)

Installation

1. Clone the Repository

   git clone https://github.com/tomwolfe/lawsage.git
   cd lawsage

2. Install Frontend Dependencies

   npm install

Running the Application Locally

Start the Next.js development server:

npm run dev

Open your browser and navigate to http://localhost:3000 to begin.

Setting Your API Key

1. Open the application in your browser (http://localhost:3000).
2. Click the "Settings" button in the top right corner.
3. Enter your Google Gemini API Key and click "Save Settings".

• Important: Your key is stored securely in your browser's localStorage and is only sent to Google's API when you request an analysis. It is never sent to any other server.

How It Works

1. Input: Describe your legal issue in plain language (e.g., "I was evicted from my apartment without notice") or upload multiple legal documents to your Virtual Case Folder.
2. Jurisdiction: Select your relevant state or "Federal" from the dropdown.
3. Analyze: Click "Analyze Case" or use the voice input button.
4. Output: LawSage's AI:
   • Performs cross-document analysis using your Virtual Case Folder for comprehensive context.
   • Conducts 'red-team' analysis to identify potential weaknesses and opposition arguments.
   • Searches the web for the latest statutes and Local Rules of Court (county/district level).
   • Generates a clear, step-by-step legal strategy and procedural roadmap.
   • Creates a draft, court-admissible legal filing (e.g., an Answer or Motion).
   • Provides hyper-local logistical data (courthouse addresses, filing fees, dress codes).
   • Provides direct links to the legal sources used for grounding.
   • (For OCR) Extracts text from your uploaded image with optimized processing and performs the same analysis.
5. Verification & Action:
   • Citation Verification: Use the "Verify Citation" button to check if legal citations are still 'good law' using real-time web search.
   • Opposition View: Review potential opposition arguments in the dedicated tab.
   • Pro Se Survival Guide: Access courthouse logistics and local procedural requirements in the dedicated tab.
   • Interactive Checklist: Track your progress with the Next Steps checklist featuring due dates and status indicators.
   • Export Options: Download your analysis as a .md file, PDF, or Word (.docx) document.
   • URL Sharing: Share your complete case analysis via URL with automatic state restoration.
   • Review & Edit: Review, edit, and copy the generated content to use in your case.

Deployment (Vercel)

The easiest and recommended way to deploy LawSage is on Vercel. The entire application, including the AI backend, is designed to run on Vercel's Edge Functions.

1. Push your code to a public GitHub repository.
2. Go to https://vercel.com/new.
3. Import your repository.
4. Optional: Set the GEMINI_API_KEY environment variable in your Vercel project settings (this provides a fallback API key).
   • Go to your Vercel project's Settings > Environment Variables.
   • Add a new variable named GEMINI_API_KEY and paste your API key as the value.
   • Note: Users can also provide their own API key directly in the application Settings UI, which takes precedence over the environment variable.
5. Click "Deploy". Your application will be live!

API Routes

The application includes several API routes optimized for Vercel Edge Functions:

• /api/analyze: Main analysis endpoint for legal situation processing with grounding. Consolidated response includes adversarial strategy, procedural roadmap, and local logistics.
• /api/ocr: Multimodal OCR endpoint for legal document image analysis with optimized image processing.
• /api/health: Health check endpoint.
• /api/verify-citation: Real-time citation verification endpoint using Gemini Web Search. All API routes are configured to run on Vercel's Edge Runtime for optimal performance and cost efficiency within Hobby Tier limits.

AI Safety & Structure

LawSage employs a multi-layered Reliability Layer to ensure that AI-generated content is safe, accurate, and structurally complete:

• Red-Team Auditing: Every user request is audited for safety violations and jurisdictional clarity before being processed.
• Static Grounding Layer: Checks the embedded procedural rules database for common queries before making API calls, providing instant zero-latency research.
• Grounded Generation: Gemini 2.5 Flash is utilized with real-time Google Search grounding to ensure information is based on current statutes and Local Rules of Court.
• Reliability Validation:
  • Citations Validation: Ensures every response contains at least three verifiable legal citations (e.g., U.S.C., State Codes).
  • Procedural Completeness: Verifies the presence of a 'Procedural Roadmap' section to guide the pro se litigant.
  • Adversarial Strategy Validation: Ensures the presence of opposition arguments and 'red-team' analysis of the user's case.
  • Procedural Checks Validation: Verifies inclusion of local court rule compliance checks.
  • Logistics Data Validation: Ensures hyper-local courthouse information is included in responses.
  • Mandatory Disclaimers: Every response is prepended with a legal disclaimer to clearly distinguish legal information from legal advice.
  • Structural Hardening: A custom validator enforces a strict delimiter system ('---') to separate legal strategy from filing templates.
  • Retry Mechanism: Built-in exponential backoff for AI service rate limits ensures high availability.
  • Structured Output: The AI is prompted to return a JSON schema, which is validated server-side for completeness and safety before being presented to the user.

Contributing

LawSage is an open-source project dedicated to legal democratization. Contributions are welcome!

1. Fork the repository.
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name).
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some feature').
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/your-feature-name).
5. Open a pull request.

Please ensure your code adheres to the existing style and includes tests for new features.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

• Next.js
• Google AI Studio
• Tailwind CSS
• Lucide Icons
• Vercel
• lz-string