Case study
Transforming a civil rights litigation law firm with CoCounsel
Justly Prudent leverages Thomson Reuters CoCounsel and Westlaw AI to increase efficiency, double litigation capacity, and improve work‑life balance for a multistate civil rights practice
Introduction
Jordan Howlette founded Justly Prudent in late 2021 after distinguished service as a trial attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice and five years in the U.S. Army. The civil rights and constitutional tort litigation firm operates across five states with a largely remote workforce, handling complex cases that require extensive briefing and document review. Before implementing Thomson Reuters solutions, Jordan faced the daunting task of building a competitive practice from scratch with limited resources.
5x
Return on investment from CoCounsel
100%
Increase in litigation capacity
50%
Cut in discovery time
Challenge: Competing with established firms on a solo practitioner's budget
Starting with no book of business, Howlette faced formidable obstacles as a solo practitioner. Civil rights and constitutional tort cases demand extensive discovery, complex legal research, and meticulous document review—work that would typically require a large team. Traditional approaches to case management would have made it impossible to compete with established firms, and the resource constraints meant every billable hour had to deliver maximum value. Operating remotely across five states added another layer of complexity, requiring seamless collaboration tools that didn't yet exist in his workflow.
The workload threatened to consume Howlette's life entirely. Without efficient tools, he faced the prospect of 16-hour workdays just to keep pace with the demands of civil rights litigation. The firm needed technology that could handle large document uploads, streamline discovery requests, spot legal issues quickly, and draft timelines—all while being intuitive enough for paralegals to use without extensive prompt engineering. The challenge wasn't just surviving as a new firm; it was building a sustainable practice that could grow without sacrificing quality of life.
Drawing on his DOJ experience where he had compared multiple platforms, Howlette knew what he needed. "At DOJ, I was able to compare and contrast search results and secondary sources, and I just found that Westlaw was, in my view, superior," he explains. "When I started my own firm, I knew exactly what I needed—the best technology to compete and deliver exceptional results." The search for a solution led him to evaluate the Thomson Reuters comprehensive suite against competitors, ultimately choosing the platform proved superior during his government service.
“AI‑Assisted Research on Westlaw is a godsend. It allows us to quickly identify persuasive and binding authority on complex legal issues, which is critical in civil rights and constitutional tort cases.”
Jordan Howlette
Founder & Principal Attorney, Justly Prudent
Solution: A comprehensive AI-powered technology suite from day one
From Justly Prudent's inception, Howlette implemented a comprehensive Thomson Reuters technology suite—Westlaw for superior legal research, Practical Law for transactional work, and CoCounsel for AI-powered litigation support. CoCounsel's ability to handle unlimited document uploads without hitting platform limits proved immediately valuable, allowing paralegals to prepare discovery, draft event timelines for complaints, and review large document sets without worrying about technical constraints. The firm also adopted Westlaw's AI-Assisted Research, which Howlette describes as "a godsend" for quickly identifying persuasive and binding authority on complex civil rights issues. To maximize these tools' impact, Howlette invested in team training and created prompt libraries for routine tasks, ensuring everyone could leverage the technology efficiently from day one.
Outcomes: 5x ROI and a practice that scales without sacrificing quality of life
The results have been transformative across every dimension of the practice. Justly Prudent achieved a 5x return on investment, with Howlette reporting, "For what we pay, my ROI easily was like five times what we were paying." The firm doubled its case capacity from 25 to over 50 cases without adding staff, while CoCounsel's document synthesis capabilities cut discovery and review time in half. Most remarkably, these efficiency gains translated into dramatically improved work-life balance—Howlette went from facing 16-hour workdays to maintaining reasonable hours while handling twice the caseload.
The entire team benefited from the implementation. Paralegals gained direct access to Westlaw, creating what Howlette calls, "a game changer when I look at ROI from their billable hours." The firm's ability to process discovery efficiently, prepare higher-quality work product, and handle greater volume translated directly into increased revenue and client satisfaction. With a diverse revenue model spanning hourly billing, hybrid contingency, and subscription-based transactional services, Justly Prudent has operated at full capacity for over a year—a testament to CoCounsel's ability to help the firm triage and accept more cases without compromising quality or overburdening staff.
Howlette's tech-forward approach has become a competitive advantage in the civil rights litigation space. His message to colleagues is unequivocal. "Do not wait. You have to get on board. If you don't start now, you're going to get left behind."
The firm's success demonstrates that even solo practitioners can compete with large established firms by embracing AI-powered tools early, training teams thoroughly, and letting technology handle routine tasks while attorneys focus on high-value strategic work. As Howlette affirms, "We would not be able to do the work we do now without these tools."
“For what we pay, my ROI easily was like five times what we were paying. Our package is not cheap for a solo practitioner with two attorney seats, but it’s worth every penny.”
Jordan Howlette
Founder & Principal Attorney, Justly Prudent
At a glance
Industry
Legal
HQ region
Washington, D.C.
Solutions
Thomson Reuters CoCounsel
Westlaw AI‑Assisted Research
Practical Law
Year founded
2021
Additional case studies
Transforming legal practice with Thomson Reuters GenAI solutions
Wyoming attorneys Nolan and Greg Thomas transformed their firm’s efficiency and accuracy by adopting Thomson Reuters generative AI (GenAI) solutions in CoCounsel.
Serving more clients well with help from Westlaw with CoCounsel
Safa Riadh, Attorney at Law, Valiant Law, is a long-time advocate of Westlaw and now Westlaw with CoCounsel—he uses the game-changing skill, AI-Assisted Research, to serve more clients more effectively and efficiently.