Comparison
Casetext vs Mi Assist Legal -- Which is right for your firm?
Casetext charges Now part of CoCounsel, $500+/mo per attorney and runs on Cloud (Thomson Reuters / CoCounsel). Mi Assist Legal runs on your own hardware -- one flat fee, no recurring seats, no data leaving your office.
TL;DR
The five-row answer.
| Dimension | Mi Assist Legal | Casetext |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment | On-premise, your hardware | Cloud (Thomson Reuters / CoCounsel) |
| Price model | One-time deployment fee | Now part of CoCounsel, $500+/mo per attorney |
| Data location | Your office network, always | Thomson Reuters cloud infrastructure |
| Best for firm size | 5-30 attorneys | Firms on Thomson Reuters ecosystem |
| Offline capable | Yes -- fully offline | No -- internet required |
Deployment Model
Cloud vs on-premise. What it actually means.
Casetext was acquired by Thomson Reuters in 2023 for $650 million and has been rebranded and integrated into CoCounsel. If you are researching Casetext as a standalone product, the current offering is CoCounsel -- the former Casetext AI research features have been absorbed into the Thomson Reuters platform.
Casetext's original product, CARA, was among the first AI legal research tools to gain traction in the mid-market. It allowed attorneys to upload briefs and receive relevant case law suggestions. That functionality is now embedded in CoCounsel's broader platform alongside contract review, drafting assistance, and deposition preparation features.
The transition to Thomson Reuters means the pricing, data handling, and compliance posture of Casetext are now governed by Thomson Reuters terms rather than Casetext's original policies. Firms that originally chose Casetext for its independent positioning should be aware that their data now flows through Thomson Reuters infrastructure and that pricing has moved to the CoCounsel tier structure.
Pricing at Scale
10-attorney firm. 5-year total cost.
Per-seat pricing compounds every year. Mi Assist Legal is a one-time deployment -- the math becomes obvious over time.
| Period | Mi Assist Legal | Casetext |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 (10 attorneys) | $6,000 setup | $60,000+ (CoCounsel rate) |
| Year 2 | $0 (no per-seat) | $60,000+ |
| Year 3 | $0 | $60,000+ |
| Year 4 | $0 | $60,000+ |
| Year 5 | $0 | $60,000+ |
| 5-Year Total | ~$6,000 | $300,000+ |
Following the Thomson Reuters acquisition, Casetext pricing reflects CoCounsel pricing tiers, estimated at $500-1,500/seat/month. Original Casetext standalone pricing ($250+/month/attorney) is no longer available to new subscribers.
Feature Comparison
Honest feature breakdown.
| Feature | Mi Assist Legal | Casetext |
|---|---|---|
| Current product status | Active standalone product | Absorbed into CoCounsel (TR) |
| Data location | On-premise, your network | Thomson Reuters cloud |
| Pricing model | One-time deployment fee | Per-seat monthly (CoCounsel) |
| Searches your case files | Yes, uploaded documents | Yes, with document upload |
| Offline capable | Yes, fully | No, requires internet |
| ABA 1.6 by architecture | Yes, no data leaves office | Vendor policy dependent |
| Unlimited users | Yes | No, per-seat license |
| Source citations | Yes, document + page number | Yes |
Decision Guide
The honest answer.
Choose Casetext if:
- --Your firm is already embedded in the Thomson Reuters ecosystem and wants bundled AI with Westlaw access.
- --You need drafting and document generation beyond search -- CoCounsel offers those features.
- --Your managing partner wants vendor-managed infrastructure and a known enterprise brand.
- --Multi-office collaboration and cloud access from anywhere is a firm-wide requirement.
Choose Mi Assist Legal if:
- You evaluated Casetext before the acquisition and are now looking for an independent alternative with competitive pricing.
- Per-seat cloud pricing at CoCounsel rates does not fit your firm's legal tech budget.
- Client data confidentiality requires on-premise processing with no cloud transmission.
- You want deployment in 48 hours, not weeks of enterprise onboarding.
FAQ
Common questions.
Is Casetext still available as a standalone product?
Casetext as an independent product effectively ceased after the Thomson Reuters acquisition in 2023. Existing Casetext customers were transitioned to CoCounsel. New customers looking for AI-assisted legal research will be directed to the CoCounsel platform, which incorporates the former Casetext functionality under Thomson Reuters pricing and terms.
What happened to CARA, Casetext's original AI feature?
CARA (Case Analysis Research Assistant) was Casetext's flagship feature that analyzed uploaded briefs and suggested relevant case law. After the Thomson Reuters acquisition, CARA's functionality was integrated into CoCounsel's document analysis workflow. It is no longer marketed as a standalone feature.
I was a Casetext customer. What changed?
Following the acquisition, Casetext customers were migrated to CoCounsel under Thomson Reuters terms. Pricing, data handling policies, and support are now governed by Thomson Reuters agreements. Customers who specifically chose Casetext for its independent status, startup-tier pricing, or specific compliance posture should review whether the CoCounsel terms still meet their requirements.
Does Mi Assist Legal do brief analysis like Casetext CARA did?
Mi Assist Legal focuses on searching and querying documents you upload: case files, depositions, medical records, contracts, and correspondence. It does not automatically suggest external case law citations based on a brief the way CARA did. For external case law research, a Westlaw or LexisNexis subscription is the appropriate tool. Mi Assist Legal is purpose-built for internal document search.
How does Mi Assist Legal compare to Casetext on setup time?
Casetext and CoCounsel are cloud products with immediate access after provisioning. Mi Assist Legal requires a 48-hour deployment: hardware setup, document ingestion, and system testing. Most firms complete the transition in a single day of deployment work. After that initial setup, the system is fully operational with no ongoing maintenance required from attorneys.
Next Step
See how Mi Assist Legal works for your firm.
15-minute call. Live demo on a real case file. We will walk through setup, pricing, and whether Mi Assist Legal fits your workflow.