The Briefcase implements sophisticated search functionality enabling rapid document discovery across large document collections.

The platform maintains searchable indexes of all document content:

• Indexed Search: All document text is indexed, enabling rapid full-text search (results returned within seconds regardless of collection size)
• Relevance Ranking: Search results are ranked by relevance, with documents containing multiple search term instances and documents where search terms appear in titles ranked highest
• Phrase Search: Quotation mark syntax enables exact phrase searching
• Wildcard Searching: Asterisk and question mark wildcards enable flexible searching (e.g., "therap*" returns "therapist," "therapy," "therapeutic")
• Boolean Search: AND, OR, NOT operators enable complex search combinations

Example Search Queries

• "limitation of liability" — exact phrase search for liability limitation clauses
• **indemnif* AND insurance** — documents containing indemnification and insurance, identifying provisions addressing both
• settlement OR resolution AND NOT litigation — documents discussing settlement in non-litigation contexts

For scanned documents and image-based PDFs, optical character recognition (OCR) enables text extraction and searching:

• Automatic OCR: Upon document upload, scanned documents are processed to extract text
• OCR Accuracy: High-quality scans achieve 95%+ accuracy; lower-quality scans may require manual correction
• OCR Confidence Indicators: System indicates OCR confidence levels, alerting users to potential accuracy issues

Search results can be filtered and refined:

• Date Range Filtering: Restrict results to documents created or modified within specified date ranges
• Document Type Filtering: Restrict results to specific document types (Contracts, Pleadings, Evidence)
• Matter Filtering: Restrict results to documents associated with specific matters
• Client Filtering: Restrict results to documents associated with specific clients
• Tag Filtering: Restrict results to documents with specific tags
• Author Filtering: Restrict results to documents created by specific users
• Access Level Filtering: Restrict results to documents with specified confidentiality levels

Ask Sque enhances document discovery through semantic search:

• Semantic Search: Users ask questions in natural language, and the system identifies documents matching the intent of the question (not just keyword matches)
• Example Query: "Show me all contracts with payment terms different from our standard 30-day payment terms" — the system identifies contracts, extracts payment terms, and identifies those deviating from the standard
• Comparative Search: "Find all contracts with higher indemnification obligations than our master agreement" — system compares indemnification provisions across contracts and identifies those exceeding the baseline