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Matter Intelligence: How to Use

Matter Intelligence surfaces facts, themes, and patterns across the entire corpus of documents in a matter. It is designed for large, complex matters where key information is distributed across pleadings, correspondence, transcripts, productions, and work product.

This video demonstrates how to use Matter Intelligence in defining a project.

What Matter Intelligence Does

Matter Intelligence lets you query across all documents in a matter workspace at once. Instead of opening files one by one, you ask questions and August searches across the full document set, returning answers with citations to the underlying sources.

Use Matter Intelligence when you need to:

  • Build chronologies and case narratives from scattered documents

  • Find patterns across productions, emails, and memoranda

  • Identify inconsistent statements or gaps in the record

  • Prepare for depositions, hearings, and negotiations

Typical Workflows

Building a Case or Deal Narrative

  1. Identify the relevant matter in August.

  2. Run targeted questions (e.g., "What does the record show about when the counterparty first raised performance issues?").

  3. Ask August to assemble a chronology with citations to the underlying documents.

  4. Refine the output into a working case or deal narrative, anchored in primary sources.

Fact Investigation and Issue Drilling

  1. Define key issues or allegations (e.g., "delayed delivery," "data breach," "FCPA red flags").

  2. Use Matter Intelligence to find all references across productions, emails, and internal memoranda.

  3. Ask for structured outputs such as tables of key events, people, and documents.

  4. Iterate by narrowing the scope (e.g., specific custodians, time periods, or counterparties).

Preparing for Depositions, Hearings, and Negotiations

  1. Identify the witness, decision-maker, or negotiation counterparty.

  2. Prompt August to compile all references to that person across the matter.

  3. Generate a briefing note summarizing their role, key communications, and inconsistent statements, with citations.

  4. Use the output to prepare outlines, question sets, or talking points.

Best Practices and Guardrails

  • Always request citations and underlying document references so findings can be independently confirmed.

  • Use Matter Intelligence for synthesis and prioritization, then review the underlying documents for critical decisions.

  • Scope queries carefully by timeframe, custodian, document type, or issue to improve precision.

  • When updating analyses over time, re-run targeted questions as the matter corpus grows.

Example Prompts

Chronology building

Within the 'Acme v. Beta' matter, create a chronology of key events related to the termination of the Master Services Agreement between January 2020 and June 2021. Use pleadings, correspondence, and any board minutes in the matter workspace. Provide: (1) a dated timeline with citations to documents, and (2) a short narrative summarizing how the dispute escalated.

Fact pattern extraction

In the 'Project Orion' investigation matter, identify all references to alleged improper payments to third-party distributors. For each instance, list: (1) date, (2) individuals involved, (3) counterparty or distributor, (4) amount if stated, and (5) source document with page or paragraph citation.

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