What you'll accomplish
By the end of this guide, you'll use ChatGPT Plus to accelerate the writing and organizing parts of legal research — drafting memos, structuring arguments, summarizing case law summaries you've already gathered, and creating first-draft legal documents. Critical note: you'll use ChatGPT for writing and organizing, not for legal citation — that stays with Westlaw and LexisNexis.
What you'll need
- A ChatGPT Plus account at chat.openai.com ($20/month)
- Your completed Westlaw/LexisNexis research notes or case summaries
- Time needed: 10 minutes to set up; immediate use on any research task
- Cost: $20/month
How-To Guide: Use ChatGPT Plus for Legal Research Memos and Analysis
Step 1: Create your ChatGPT Plus account
Go to chat.openai.com and click "Sign up" or "Log in." Upgrade to ChatGPT Plus under Settings → Subscription. Plus gives you access to GPT-4o, which handles legal writing significantly better than the free GPT-4o mini.
What you should see: A clean chat interface with "ChatGPT" at the top; your account shows "Plus" status.