Select or create a database: Ensure you have a database selected or created that you want to search.
Formulate a user prompt (query): Create a comprehensive, plain-language sentence. Your sentence should be clear and concise, communicating all relevant and material information while avoiding irrelevant details that could result in a less targeted search.
Run the search: Use the prompt to search the selected database for relevant files or information.
From the
Upload
button menu, if you select
Search an entire database
, CoCounsel will ask you to select a database and will only run the
Search a Database
Skill.
If you want to search the entire database using a different skill (for example,
Review Documents
), you must instead select
Files from a database
and select all available files.
Make sure your user prompts are clear and concise, avoiding immaterial details. This helps CoCounsel locate the most relevant information in the database.
Be precise regarding key details, such as jurisdiction. For example: Beginner prompt: Search this database to find slip and fall cases. Intermediate prompt: Search this database to find slip and fall cases in New York. Advanced prompt: Search this database to find slip and fall cases in New York where the court ruled for the plaintiff.
If CoCounsel asks you to upload a database after you have already uploaded one, try adding the following statement to the beginning of your user prompt: “In the database provided . . . .” This will instruct CoCounsel to use the database you previously uploaded.
You can follow up on a
Search a Database
response in CoCounsel by using a new skill and asking a question about a specific document from the database.
To do this, select
Show Sources
at the bottom of the output.
In the expanded window, select the
Relevant Documents
tab, then select
+ Add to chat
next to the document about which you want to ask a follow-up question.
You can then run any skill on the documents you have added.