1. Introduction

Statutory Research is an AI-powered tool that transforms how attorneys navigate the complex landscape of federal and state statutes, regulations, and administrative codes. Unlike traditional research methods that require manually parsing through thousands of statutory provisions, our system uses semantic understanding to identify relevant laws, trace their legislative history, and surface related regulations—all in seconds.

Whether you're researching compliance requirements for a corporate client, building a regulatory defense, or drafting legislation-aware contracts, Statutory Research provides the authoritative statutory foundation your practice demands. The tool covers all 50 state codes, the entire U.S. Code, CFR regulations, and agency guidance documents.

2. The Problem It Solves

Statutory research has traditionally been one of the most tedious aspects of legal practice. Statutes are organized by subject matter rather than practical application, requiring attorneys to know exactly which title and section to consult. A single legal issue might span multiple titles, cross-reference dozens of related provisions, and involve state-specific variations that complicate multistate matters.

Even experienced attorneys miss relevant statutes because they're buried in unexpected locations. Tax provisions appear in non-tax titles, procedural requirements hide in substantive law sections, and regulatory definitions differ from statutory ones. The result? Incomplete research, compliance gaps, and malpractice exposure from missing statutory deadlines or prerequisites.

3. How It Works

Our AI processes statutory databases using specialized legal language models trained on legislative text. When you enter a query, the system doesn't just keyword match—it understands legislative structure, identifies definitional sections, traces cross-references, and recognizes statutory relationships that traditional search misses.

The tool automatically identifies: (1) Primary statutory authority directly on point, (2) Definitional sections that govern interpretation, (3) Related regulations implementing the statute, (4) Legislative history showing congressional intent, and (5) Effective dates and amendment history. Results are organized hierarchically, showing mandatory provisions before permissive ones, and flagging any recent amendments.

4. Getting Started

Access Statutory Research from the Practice Hub and enter your query in plain English. Describe the legal issue, transaction type, or regulatory requirement you're researching. For example: "What are the disclosure requirements for crowdfunding offerings under SEC regulations?" or "State notice requirements before terminating a commercial lease."

Select your jurisdiction filter—federal only, specific states, or all jurisdictions for a multistate overview. The AI returns primary statutes with relevant subsections highlighted, related regulations, and a summary explaining how the provisions interact. Click any statute to view full text with hyperlinked cross-references.

5. Best Practices

Frame queries around the legal action or requirement rather than statutory citations. "Employee termination notice requirements in California" yields better results than searching for specific Labor Code sections. Include industry context when relevant—HIPAA provisions differ significantly for healthcare providers versus business associates.

Always check effective dates on statutes, especially for recently amended areas like tax law, employment regulations, and data privacy. Use the "Compare Jurisdictions" feature when advising multistate clients to identify the strictest applicable standard. For regulatory compliance matters, enable the "Include Agency Guidance" filter to surface interpretive letters and enforcement guidance.

6. Use Cases by Practice Area

Corporate/Transactional: Research securities law exemptions, corporate formation requirements, and contract enforceability statutes. The tool excels at identifying state-specific variations for multistate transactions and surfacing obscure notice requirements.

Employment Law: Navigate the intersection of federal (FLSA, FMLA, ADA) and state employment statutes. Identify wage-hour requirements, leave mandates, and classification rules that vary dramatically by jurisdiction. Regulatory/Administrative: Research agency-specific requirements across EPA, SEC, FDA, and state equivalents. The system understands regulatory hierarchies and surfaces both enabling statutes and implementing regulations.

7. Jurisdiction-Specific Guidance

Federal statutory research benefits from the tool's ability to navigate the U.S. Code's complex organizational structure and identify provisions scattered across multiple titles. For CFR research, the system maps regulations back to their enabling statutes and flags pending proposed rules.

State research includes all 50 state codes with uniform coverage. The tool is particularly valuable for states with complex statutory schemes (California, New York, Texas) and for identifying "super-statute" states that impose requirements beyond federal minimums. Municipal ordinances are included for major cities.

8. ROI & Efficiency Metrics

Attorneys report reducing statutory research time by 60-75% compared to traditional methods. More significantly, the tool surfaces statutes that manual research commonly misses—users report finding relevant provisions they would have overlooked in approximately 40% of complex searches.

For compliance-focused practices, the reduction in missed requirements translates directly to reduced client exposure and malpractice risk. Transactional attorneys report faster due diligence and more comprehensive regulatory disclosure schedules. The flat-rate pricing eliminates per-search anxiety that causes attorneys to under-research.

9. Integration & Comparison

Statutory Research integrates seamlessly with other OpusLaw tools. Export statutes directly to Brief Builder for automatic citation formatting. Use alongside Legal Search to find cases interpreting ambiguous statutory language. Combine with Contract Analyzer to identify statutory provisions affecting contract enforceability.

Compared to Westlaw and Lexis statutory databases, OpusLaw's semantic approach finds related statutes that keyword-based systems miss. Traditional services require knowing the precise statutory location; our AI discovers relevant provisions from plain-language queries. The result is more comprehensive research with less manual effort.

10. FAQ

How current are the statutes? Federal statutes are updated within 48 hours of official publication. State codes are updated on a rolling basis, typically within one week of official amendments. A "last updated" indicator shows currency for each jurisdiction.

Does it include regulations and administrative codes? Yes. The tool covers the Code of Federal Regulations, all state administrative codes, and selected agency guidance documents. Regulations are cross-referenced to their enabling statutes. Can I research historical versions of statutes? Yes, the tool maintains historical versions and can show how specific provisions have changed over time—essential for matters involving past conduct.

Complete Guide to Statutory Research