The Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England and Wales (ICLR) launches ICLR.4 today, the latest upgrade of its digital platform. ICLR.4 offers subscribers access to a number of new features and additional functionality to support their legal research. It introduces, for the first time, a new AI-driven search function (“Case Genie”) and an online version of the Consolidated Index for subject matter, providing subscribers with a more efficient and user-friendly platform to search for case law in England and Wales.

With the launch of ICLR.4, the charity continues in its mission to provide the legal profession with access to pre-eminent law reports in England and Wales. The new features on the updated platform mark another milestone in the organisation’s digital journey. ICLR.4 features include: 

• Improved access to legislation: ICLR.4 is powered by legislation.gov.uk and offers the simplest way to search up-to-date UK legislation.

• Expanded case information: All the information subscribers need for case research will be available in one place.

• New browsing options: Consolidated Index for subject matter has been replaced with technology that allows users to search for cases by legal topic.

A cornerstone feature of ICLR.4 is Case Genie, an AI-driven search tool, that enhances the way subscribers search for England and Wales case law on ICLR’s digital platform. Case Genie is the first product of its kind in the UK legal tech research space using Natural Language Processing (NLP) technology to analyse a user’s inputted document and identify up to 50 similar or related cases. This enables users to identify otherwise seamlessly unconnected and novel cases that could add value to their legal thinking. Case Genie also runs paragraph similarity checks, whereby the system matches paragraphs selected by the user with content in other cases that discuss similar legislation or concepts. Case Genie operates on a secure online system, with instant encryption of any uploaded content and immediate deletion of data once the session ends. 

The new features on ICLR.4 were created with bespoke processes developed by 67 Bricks, following initial research conducted by the ICLR’s research lab, ICLR&D.

"Once again the product development team at ICLR has utilised our core strengths and expertise to create a fantastic product. We are confident that Case Genie will become a valuable research tool to complement traditional research methods,” commented Kevin Laws, CEO at the ICLR.

In other hand, Paul Magrath, Head of Product Development and Online Content at the ICLR said the following words:

“ICLR.4 signifies a major upgrade to our online delivery of content for the benefit of our valued subscribers. The ICLR is no longer just delivering content, but legal data services more generally. We are still on our digital journey, and we continue to invest in research and development, so watch this space.”