Decision Analysis
Objective
Automatically generate a structured analysis of a “Decision” in judicial, administrative, or arbitral disputes, mapping the issues analyzed, the reasoning behind responses to the parties’ arguments, and identifying the resolutions for granting or denying the procedural and substantive (merit-based) claims.
This Decision Analysis can be generated independently within a Case file in the Looplex Cases management module or in the context of creating an automated document, such as appeals or counterarguments, or as precedent analysis to enrich an organization’s curated knowledge base. The content is logged in the respective cases and may alter the risk assessment and valuation of contingent liabilities in a Case.
Our Client (User)
This solution is designed for lawyers and legal professionals who need to record the occurrence of a judge’s or panel’s decision in a Case (interlocutory decision, judgment, ruling, administrative decision, etc.) or to automate drafting petitions, memorandums, or other documents requiring decision content mapping.
The analysis can be used by in-house lawyers in a company’s legal department using Looplex or by external attorneys representing a company, individual, or entity.
Challenges
Lawyers representing clients in disputes or overseeing contentious Cases must frequently analyze decisions made by judges or arbitrators to:
- Identify what was resolved and determine the next steps in the case.
- Update contingencies and revise risk analysis based on the decision.
- Develop arguments to contest, defend, or explain the decision in documents such as petitions or memorandums.
This requires reviewing case facts, legal arguments presented by the parties, and the judge’s reasoning. Specific orders, such as granting or denying claims, compensation determinations, preliminary injunctions, or other orders, must also be identified.
Additionally, lawyers must update records and determine or revise existing contingent liabilities that may require provisioning, offering risk estimates or perspectives on success for contingent assets (when the client is the claimant or creditor).
A practical, automated solution is needed to capture these details quickly and standardly, accelerating these routine legal tasks.
Solution
The template performs an analysis that documents and consolidates a Decision’s outcome in a structured format. The analysis can be “simple” or “comprehensive” (including identification of arguments, evidence, and other elements cited in the reasoning). The template is available within the case file.
When a user selects “New > Decision” in a case file, they first register the decision date and classification (e.g., interlocutory decision, judgment, ruling).
Next, the user specifies the issues addressed in the decision using a dynamic checklist that varies based on the decision classification. For a judicial ruling, for example, the checklist might include:
If arguments from the proximate or remote causes of action were previously mapped in the Case context, users can detail the decision’s comments on specific issues. For example, they might note what the judge decided about a jurisdictional challenge or comments on the reasoning behind denying free legal assistance.
In cases where only contingent liabilities (root causes and related claims) are mapped, the user moves to a final stage, reviewing the predicted value for each liability and the related risk analysis, which can be updated to “probable,” “possible,” or “remote,” altering the related contingency estimate.
Values in Looplex are interpreted as follows:
- Expected Value – The estimated economic obligation in dispute, typically reflecting the maximum estimated value.
- Contingency Value – The minimum expected value, calculated as a percentage of the expected value based on applied risk assessments. The risk value percentage for each evaluation cannot be altered during the decision analysis; only template managers can edit these configurations.
Attachments to the Analysis
Users can attach the full text of the decision to the mapped responses in the selected case file. When this is done, the template allows users to mark, directly in the external document, text sections where the judge analyzed each element. These markings can aid in drafting related petitions and creating intelligent annotations in the organization’s jurisprudence database.
Beta service under development for selected clients.
Analysis with Looplex Cognitive Services
For judicial decisions from selected courts, external documents can be submitted to our data extraction service, which uses AI to capture and identify the main elements of a decision. As of June 2023, this feature is in beta for Pro Plan clients or higher with access to cognitive services.
Associated Workflows
Once a decision analysis is generated, all values, information, and activity history are updated in Looplex. These responses can also be incorporated into appeal or counterargument documents.
Disclaimers
Some of the features described above are available in client-specific templates and solutions. Their release as a standardized Solution is under development. Depending on your license plan (Looplex Cases, Cognitive Services, Jurisprudence Database), not all features may be available. Please consult our feature list or support team to verify your access.