
The Summary tab on a matter
When to use it
- Handing a matter to a colleague, or picking one up
- Preparing for a client call on a file you have not touched in weeks
- Producing a first draft of a status memo
- Getting oriented on a matter with more documents than you have time to read
How it works
1
Resolve the corpus
Works out exactly which documents belong to the matter. Membership is resolved in the database rather than inferred from the search index, so nothing from another matter can leak in.
2
Map each document
Reads every document in parallel for evidence. Results are cached and shared with Matter Facts.
3
Classify the matter
Determines what kind of matter this is, which selects the section structure. You are not getting a generic five-heading template.
4
Plan and cluster
Plans the sections against the evidence actually available, then clusters evidence into each. Sections with nothing to say are dropped rather than padded.
5
Synthesize
Writes each section in parallel, attaching citations per claim.
Altitude
Summaries generate at two levels of detail:Citations
Every claim carries a citation. Clicking one opens the source passage in a modal, the same citation viewer used by chat, compare, and the chronology, so verifying a line never means leaving the page and hunting through a PDF. This is the part worth using. A summary you cannot check is a summary you cannot file anything against.Freshness
The summary reports whether it is current against the matter’s present document set. Add documents and it is marked stale; regenerate to fold them in. Generation is idempotent, so triggering it twice does not produce two runs.Plan availability
Limitations
- Draws only on documents in the matter. No web, no case law, no general knowledge.
- Section structure is chosen for you by the classifier. It is a good default, not an outline you control.
- Dropped sections mean the evidence was not there. That is information, but it is not the same as the matter having no such issue.
- Verify cited passages before relying on the summary externally. It is a research aid, not a work product you should send unread.
Related
Matter Facts
The same evidence as a structured ledger instead of prose.
Chronology Builder
The time dimension of the same matter.
Answer Verification
How claims get checked against sources.
Matters and Workspaces
The matter these tabs live on.

