What is the Agent?
What is the Agent?
The CORTO Agent lives in the dedicated All tab in Matter AI — a single, purpose-built workspace that brings together agentic chat, visible step-by-step reasoning, and connected tools. You ask one question in plain language; the Agent reasons through it, automatically drawing on your matter information and calling the right tools when your query needs them, and returns one grounded, cited response.
The All tab is the foundation for where Matter AI is heading — one-tab, growing capabilities. It gives lawyers, paralegals, and other legal professionals a single destination to conduct their legal work.
AT A GLANCE
One workspace - agentic chat, visible reasoning, and connected tools in the All tab. No switching between features.
Grounded in your matter - answers draw on your matter documents and cite their sources.
Calls the right tools automatically - engages LawY legal research when your question needs them, with more integrations coming soon.
What the Agent Draws On
What the Agent Draws On
The Agent always works from your matter information, the documents and correspondence in the matter. On top of that, it calls on connected tools when your question calls for them, with no manual switching required:
Matter documents & correspondence (always): retrieves and ranks the most relevant files in your matter, so every answer is grounded in your actual records.
LawY legal research: when a question needs the law, the Agent automatically engages LawY and returns cited, authoritative sources, including Acts, sections, cases and relevant legal articles.
MORE TOOLS COMING SOON
The All tab is built to grow. Additional MCP-powered integrations will be added over time, so you gain new capabilities without learning a new interface - one tab, growing capabilities.
How to Use the Agent - Step by Step
How to Use the Agent - Step by Step
Step 1 — Open the All tab
Open Matter AI in the matter you are working on and select the All tab. This is the dedicated workspace for agent-powered work, separate from standard chat.
Step 2 — Filter Your Data Source
Before asking a question, use the Data Filter to control which parts of the matter the AI reviews. This improves accuracy by narrowing the AI's focus to the most relevant material.
How to apply a filter:
1. Click + in Matter AI on the left-hand side of the page.
2. Select your preferred filter option – Matter, Document or Folder
Filter options:
Option | Best used when… |
Entire Matter | You need a broad overview (default setting) |
Documents | You know the specific document(s) to draw from |
Folders | The matter is well organised into named folders, and you want to draw on information from that folder/s. |
Note: Only one filter method can be used at a time — choose the narrowest option appropriate for the task. The last-used filter is remembered per matter until manually changed.
Step 3 — Turn on the tools you need
Click the + (Features) and toggle on the tools relevant to your question — for example, enable Research to give the Agent access to LawY legal research. The Agent only calls a tool when your query needs it, so you stay in control of what it uses.
Step 4 — Type your question
Type your question or request in plain language. You do not need special commands or keywords.
For example:
• “Prepare a letter of advice to the client on the contract interpretation issue in this matter, with relevant case law and legislation.”
• “Summarise the matter and identify the main legal issues.”
Step 5 — Answer any clarifying questions
If your question is missing key details, the Agent asks up to three clarifying questions before it starts — one at a time.
Common questions include:
• Who should the document be addressed to?
• What length or format do you need?
Each question offers suggested options to select from. There is always a “Something else” field where you can type your own answer if none of the options fit. You can also click Skip to move past a question, and the Agent will note the unanswered item as an assumption in the output.
ANSWER ONCE
Your answers are saved for the rest of your session. You will not be asked again for the same matter.
Step 6 — Watch the Agent work
The Agent thinks out loud, giving you full visibility into how it reaches an answer — step by step, in real time. Rather than waiting for a final response and wondering how it was reached, you can watch the process unfold:
• It analyses your question and confirms understanding before starting, so it always solves the right problem.
• It runs multiple targeted searches across your matter’s files at once, showing each query as it executes.
• It fetches and ranks relevant documents, showing how many were retrieved and surfacing the most important ones.
• When your question needs the law, it engages LawY and returns cited authorities.
• It writes the final answer only after retrieval is complete, so the response is grounded in your actual documents.
Each step — Analysing, Researching, Searching, Fetching, Writing — is labelled, timestamped, marked Complete as it finishes, and fully collapsible, so you stay in control of the interface.
TRANSPARENT BY DESIGN
The visible reasoning trail gives you a reviewable record of how each answer was produced — useful for confidence, compliance, and audit readiness. You always know whether an answer is grounded in your documents or drawn from general reasoning.
Step 7 — Review the response
The Agent returns a structured response drawing on your matter documents and any tools it called. Citations appear inline — click any link to go directly to the referenced document, matter file, or legal source.
When LawY research is used, a Resources section at the end lists all external sources: legislation, leading cases, and legal articles, with direct links to authoritative sources.
ALWAYS REVIEW BEFORE USE
Review all output carefully before use in court documents or client communications. The Agent is designed to support, not replace, your professional judgment.
Step 8 — Refine if needed
You can continue the conversation to refine the output without starting again. For example:
• “Shorten the factual background section.”
• “Change the tone to be more formal.”
Step 9 — Preview, download or save the document
When the output is ready, the Agent pre-selects the most appropriate format for your document type or asks a clarifying question if it needs to confirm. Supported formats:
Format | Best for |
Word (.docx) | Letters, memos, advice, submissions |
Filed documents, formal opinions | |
Excel (.xlsx) | Balance Sheets, Fee schedules, chronologies, data tables |
PowerPoint | Client or internal briefings |
You can generate multiple documents at once and save any or all of them directly to your LEAP matter.
Step 10 — Verify the Output
Confirm the accuracy of the document/s before finalising. All references are clickable. The Resources section lists all legal sources, including legislation and case law. The References section lists all documents referenced.
Agent Best Practices
Agent Best Practices
Use the All tab as a single destination to conduct AI legal work.
Turn on the right tools. Toggle on the tool features required. The Agent calls a tool only when your query needs it.
Be specific in your prompt. State the purpose and format of the document you require. Greater context produces more accurate output.
Engage with the clarifying questions. They are designed to reduce rework. Complete answers produce a stronger first draft and responses are retained for the session.
Use the visible reasoning to check grounding. Follow the step-by-step trail to confirm whether an answer is grounded in your documents or drawn from general reasoning.
Refine using follow-up turns. Tone, length, and structure can be adjusted in the same conversation without starting again.
Verify every citation. All references are clickable. Confirm accuracy before filing or issuing to a client. The Resources section lists all legal sources, including legislation and case law. The References section lists all documents referenced.