Platform Guide — CourtListener & RECAP

AI Chrome extension for CourtListener & RECAP: brief dockets and judicial opinions in place.

Highlight judicial opinions, appellate briefs, and federal docket filings on CourtListener and RECAP in Chrome or Firefox and brief them with IRAC in seconds.

Best fit

Best for appellate attorneys, law clerks, legal researchers, and journalists reviewing PACER dockets and federal case law on courtlistener.com.

On-screen walkthrough

How this looks on a real webpage.

Instead of switching tabs and rebuilding context, highlight the exact passage that slowed you down and press your shortcut (default: Ctrl+Shift+X or Cmd+Shift+X on macOS, fully customizable in settings).

courtlistener.com/docket/12345/opinion
Context: Detailed
1. Highlighted on page (CourtListener — Federal District Court Order on Motion to Dismiss)
The Court concludes that Plaintiff has failed to plausibly allege scienter under the heightened pleading standards of the PSLRA, 15 U.S.C. § 78u-4(b)(2). While the complaint details internal Slack communications expressing engineering skepticism regarding product delivery dates, such allegations establish at most internal corporate friction rather than a conscious intent to defraud or severe recklessness. Accordingly, Defendants' Motion to Dismiss is GRANTED with leave to amend.
Ctrl+Shift+X“Brief this holding using the IRAC method and explain why the Slack messages fell short of PSLRA scienter.”
2. Vezz me on-screen answer overlay

1. **Issue**: Whether internal Slack chats showing engineering skepticism over delivery timelines satisfy the heightened scienter pleading standard under PSLRA Rule 10b-5.

2. **Rule**: Under the PSLRA (15 U.S.C. § 78u-4(b)(2)), a plaintiff must state with particularity facts giving rise to a *strong inference* that defendant acted with intentional misconduct or severe recklessness (cogent and at least as compelling as any non-culpable explanation).

3. **Application**: Ordinary internal engineering debate and timeline friction do not equal conscious fraudulent intent; optimism by executives remains protected unless they knew statements were literally false when made.

4. **Conclusion / Posture**: Motion to Dismiss **GRANTED with leave to amend** (plaintiff gets another chance to plead specific contradictory facts).

3. Suggested follow-up questions in thread
  • “What specific factual allegation would cure this pleading deficiency in an amended complaint?”
  • “Compare this ruling to Ninth Circuit vs Second Circuit PSLRA scienter standards.”
Step-by-step workflow

How to run this workflow in place.

1

Open any free judicial opinion or docket order on CourtListener

Free Law Project's CourtListener and RECAP archive millions of federal and state court filings with clean, searchable HTML.

2

Highlight the court's core legal analysis and holding

Select the dispositive paragraphs in the opinion and press Ctrl+Shift+X.

3

Run the IRAC Case Brief Extractor preset

Extract Procedural Posture, Issue, Rule, Application, and Binding Holding vs Dicta in 5 seconds.

Key details

Why this approach works better than switching tabs.

Fast, accurate legal research without $500/hr Westlaw charges
Pairing CourtListener's open-access database with Vezz me gives solo practitioners, legal clinics, and researchers institutional-grade case analysis in their browser.
  • Separates binding holding from non-binding dicta and concurring opinions
  • Captures the exact procedural standard (Rule 12(b)(6), Rule 56 summary judgment, preliminary injunction factor tests)
  • Respects strict legal ethics: `activeTab` ensures private research dockets and client matters are never monitored in the background
Comparison Matrix

Reading Case Law on CourtListener

Comparing Vezz me on CourtListener with commercial legal terminals.

MethodExtracts Procedural Posture & IRACCost
Vezz me on CourtListenerYes (instant IRAC briefs on open-access federal court opinions)Free (10/mo) / $12/mo flat Pro
Commercial Legal Search (Westlaw / Lexis)KeyCite / Shepards citation citators and proprietary headnotesThousands of dollars per year per attorney seat
Reading 50-page PDF orders manuallyFull case contextTakes 45 minutes per motion to isolate the governing standard
Frequently asked questions

Common questions about platform guide — courtlistener & recap.

Does Vezz me work on RECAP PDF documents on CourtListener?

Yes! As long as the PDF has an OCR text layer and text is selectable in your browser's PDF viewer, you can highlight any section and press Ctrl+Shift+X.

Can I use this alongside the Plain-English Legal Translator preset?

Yes! Use IRAC Case Brief Extractor for judicial orders and Plain-English Legal Translator for contracts, settlement releases, and statutes.

Where can I read our Law Students & Paralegals guide?

See our complete guide: Vezz me for Law Students & Paralegals.

Related workflows & guides

Explore connected pages.

Available for Chrome and Firefox

Ready to try this workflow on your own reading?

Install Vezz me free, highlight text on any webpage, and press your customizable shortcut (default: Ctrl+Shift+X or Cmd+Shift+X on Mac) to get an answer right beside the source.