We built this review from Thomson Reuters' own plans page, terms, and official videos, the American Bar Association's GPSolo magazine, ABA ethics guidance, and our overall reading of public user feedback. Prices are vendor claims checked October 15, 2026. Confirm with Thomson Reuters.
Disclosure: Thomson Reuters hasn't paid for this review, and none of the links in it are paid placements. Nothing here is legal advice.
What does CoCounsel actually do?#
Thomson Reuters describes CoCounsel as doing research, analysis, and drafting from a single request, reasoning across Westlaw, Practical Law, and your firm's own knowledge. In practice that breaks down into a handful of tools:
- Deep Research runs multi-step research and returns a report, rather than a single answer.
- Litigation Document Analyzer reads a filing and flags citation errors and weak arguments. It works on opposing counsel's briefs too, which in 2026 means spotting fabricated cases before the judge does.
- Document analysis lets you upload documents in batches (200 or more at a time in a zip file) into a searchable database, with contract summaries linked to the source paragraphs.
- Drafting through a web app, a Word add-in, and Microsoft 365 integrations.
- CoCounsel Library, a set of roughly 200 prompts written by attorney-editors.
- Knowledge Search across your firm's document repositories.
- Agentic workflows: multi-step tasks the AI carries out in sequence, on the top tier.
In an official Thomson Reuters customer video, a law firm names Deep Research and the Litigation Document Analyzer as its two most valuable features, the latter for checking briefs for invented citations.
Which CoCounsel tier do you need?#
Pick by feature, not by name, because the names don't tell you much. Prices: not published; ask the vendor for small-firm pricing in writing. The feature split below follows an ABA GPSolo magazine review from February 2026; Thomson Reuters sponsors the ABA division that publishes the magazine, so confirm current tier contents with Thomson Reuters.
CoCounsel tier features as described by ABA GPSolo (Feb 2026)
| Feature | CoCounsel Essentials | Westlaw Advantage with CoCounsel Essentials | CoCounsel Legal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Document analysis and drafting | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CoCounsel Library and Knowledge Search | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Westlaw content | No | Yes | Yes |
| Deep Research | No | Yes | Yes |
| Litigation Document Analyzer | No | Yes | Yes |
| Practical Law Dynamic Toolset and search | No | No | Yes |
| Agentic workflows | No | No | Yes |
Lighter rows are the same for every product; the rest are where they differ.
What this means for you: If Deep Research and citation checking are why you're buying, you need at least the Westlaw Advantage tier. Practical Law tools need full CoCounsel Legal.
How much does CoCounsel cost?#
Thomson Reuters' plans page doesn't show a price until you answer a questionnaire: your sector, number of attorneys, jurisdiction, and term. Here's what the page does say, as of October 15, 2026:
- Terms of 1, 2, or 3 years, with lower monthly pricing on longer terms.
- Online prices are for new customers only. Existing customers call sales.
- New features are included during your initial term without upgrading.
- Access usually starts within one business day.
CoCounsel contract numbers to know
1–3 years
Term options; longer terms cost less per month
Source: sales.legalsolutions.thomsonreuters.com/en-us/products/cocounsel-legal/700/plans-pricing
30 days
Written notice needed to stop annual auto-renewal (TR US General Terms)
Source: thomsonreuters.com/content/dam/ewp-m/documents/thomsonreuters/en/pdf/other/general-terms-us-q225.pdf
60 days
Notice Thomson Reuters gives before a renewal price increase
Source: thomsonreuters.com/content/dam/ewp-m/documents/thomsonreuters/en/pdf/other/general-terms-us-q225.pdf
new customers
Who the online prices apply to
Source: sales.legalsolutions.thomsonreuters.com/en-us/products/cocounsel-legal/700/plans-pricing
What this means for you: If you already pay for Westlaw, the online price isn't your price. Ask for a written quote, compare it with what a new customer would see, and ask whether a multi-year escalator applies.
What are CoCounsel's renewal and cancellation terms?#
Thomson Reuters' US General Terms say subscriptions auto-renew annually unless either side gives 30 days' written notice. Thomson Reuters can raise the price at each renewal with at least 60 days' notice. Usage beyond your plan bills at the higher of your order-form rate or current standard pricing. There's no month-to-month option.
Thomson Reuters' broader Legal Solutions subscription terms set annual price increases on multi-year terms. Those terms may not govern CoCounsel, so ask whether they apply to your order, whether your order form has a multi-year price escalator, and if it does, negotiate a cap.
How hard is CoCounsel to set up?#
Technically, not hard. Registration is self-serve, there's a guided tour and optional webinars, and access usually starts within a business day. There's no data migration; the setup work is uploading firm documents and connecting Microsoft 365.
The real work is human. Someone at the firm, ideally an attorney, needs to learn how to prompt it well and build a verification routine: a firm rule that every citation and holding gets checked before anything leaves the building. The ABA reviewers found custom configuration help limited and noted that small-firm support can be slower at busy times.
Ethics: verification isn't optional#
ABA Model Rule 1.1 requires competence, and its commentary includes understanding the technology you use. ABA Formal Opinion 512 (July 2024) addresses lawyers' use of generative AI, including verifying output, protecting confidentiality, and billing fairly for AI-assisted work. Read it before you roll out any AI research tool. Check your own jurisdiction's rules, too. (Not legal advice.)
What happened to Casetext?#
Casetext was the company that built the original CoCounsel. Thomson Reuters bought it in 2023, and as of October 15, 2026, casetext.com redirects to Thomson Reuters' CoCounsel page. There's no separate Casetext product to buy anymore. If you were a Casetext subscriber, check which Thomson Reuters plan and contract you were moved to, including its term and renewal terms.
What do users say about CoCounsel?#
We read public user feedback and looked for patterns.
What users like. Compared with general-purpose chatbots, CoCounsel rarely invents cases. Users find it good at surfacing leading cases and as a starting point for research. Memo drafts come back fast, case summaries are strong, and Deep Research and citation checking get the best reviews.
What frustrates them. The same query can return different results on different runs. Some users report holdings stated more broadly than the case supports, or results from the wrong jurisdiction, even when the citations are real. Complex legal reasoning is weaker than the demos suggest. Solos find it expensive, and some users describe Thomson Reuters contracts as hard to get out of.
Pros and cons#
Pros
- Westlaw and Practical Law grounding. [Thomson Reuters]
- Deep Research and citation checking, the best-regarded features. [Thomson Reuters; user feedback]
- Word and Microsoft 365 integration. [ABA GPSolo]
- New features included during the initial term. [Thomson Reuters plans page]
Cons
- No visible price without a questionnaire, and existing customers need a quote. [Thomson Reuters plans page]
- Auto-renewal with 30 days' written notice, and renewal increases on 60 days' notice. [TR US General Terms]
- No month-to-month option. [Thomson Reuters plans page]
- Inconsistent results on repeat queries. [User feedback]
How does CoCounsel compare with Lexis+ AI Protégé and Vincent AI?#
Your research subscription usually decides it. Lexis+ AI with Protégé is the LexisNexis equivalent, sold as part of the Lexis+ bundle. Vincent AI (now inside Clio Work) is built on vLex's content and doesn't require Westlaw or Lexis. Harvey targets larger firms and in-house teams. If you're a Westlaw firm, CoCounsel avoids paying for a second research database.
Who should use CoCounsel?#
FAQ#
How much does CoCounsel cost?#
Thomson Reuters shows prices only after a questionnaire, and online prices apply to new customers only. Not published; ask the vendor for small-firm pricing in writing.
Can I cancel CoCounsel?#
Under Thomson Reuters' US General Terms, the subscription auto-renews annually unless you give 30 days' written notice, and the price can rise at renewal on 60 days' notice. Calendar the notice date and check your order form for the term you signed.
Do I need Westlaw to use CoCounsel?#
The entry tier works without Westlaw content, but Deep Research and the Litigation Document Analyzer come with the Westlaw Advantage tier, per the ABA GPSolo review.
Does CoCounsel make up cases?#
Users report it rarely invents cases, but they do report stretched holdings and wrong-jurisdiction results. Verify every citation and holding; ABA Formal Opinion 512 expects it.
Is any of this sponsored?#
No. If that changes, the listing will be labeled "Sponsored," and payment won't change the verdict.
Sources (all accessed 2026-10-14 to 2026-10-15)#
- Thomson Reuters CoCounsel Legal plans and pricing: https://sales.legalsolutions.thomsonreuters.com/en-us/products/cocounsel-legal/700/plans-pricing
- Thomson Reuters US General Terms: https://www.thomsonreuters.com/content/dam/ewp-m/documents/thomsonreuters/en/pdf/other/general-terms-us-q225.pdf
- Thomson Reuters Legal Solutions subscription terms: https://store.legal.thomsonreuters.com/content/dam/ewp-m/documents/legal/en/pdf/terms-and-agreements/tnc/legal-solutions-sub-terms-conditions.pdf
- ABA GPSolo magazine, "CoCounsel for Small Firms: Smart Assistant or Costly Add-On?" (Jan/Feb 2026): https://www.americanbar.org/groups/gpsolo/resources/magazine/2026-jan-feb/cocounsel-small-firms-smart-assistant-or-costly-add-on/
- ABA Formal Opinion 512, Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools (July 29, 2024): https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/professional_responsibility/ethics-opinions/aba-formal-opinion-512.pdf
- Thomson Reuters official customer video (June 5, 2026)
- Court filings: Henkel Law v. Thomson Reuters (a state court, 2025); Rubin Law Firm v. West Publishing, N.D. Cal. No. 5:26-cv-11239 (filed Oct. 1, 2026)
- User sentiment: our overall reading of public user feedback on CoCounsel, October 2026
AI Tools For Law is not a law firm and doesn't provide legal advice. Using this site doesn't create an attorney-client relationship.
Alternatives to CoCounsel (Thomson Reuters)#
Legal Research
Lexis+ with Protégé
LexisNexis' AI research and drafting platform (formerly Lexis+ AI), grounded in Lexis content with Shepard's Verify, Vault, Workrooms, and agent skills.
Best forFirms already on Lexis+, litigators who value Shepard's citation checks, and firms wanting AI over their document management system.
Legal Research
Vincent AI (Clio Work)
Clio Work (formerly vLex Vincent AI): matter-grounded legal research, document analysis, drafting assists, Clio Library, and Clio Docket alerts.
Best forClio Manage firms and litigators who want research AI on their matters plus multi-jurisdiction library and docket alerts.
Legal Research
Harvey
Enterprise legal AI for law firms and in-house teams: Agents, document Vaults, shared Spaces, Contract Intelligence, and usage analytics.
Best forLarger firms and corporate legal departments with innovation owners, enterprise security needs, and multi-seat annual budgets.
How we reviewed
Researched from vendor documentation, pricing pages and user sentiment. Prices and details were last checked on . Sources are cited inline next to each claim and listed in the Sources section above.
How we review · Editorial independence and disclosure · Corrections: hello@aitoolsforlaw.ai