# LegalMCP

[CI](https://github.com/Mahender22/legal-mcp/actions/workflows/ci.yml)
[Python 3.10+](https://python.org)
[License: MIT](LICENSE)
[PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/legal-mcp/)

**The first comprehensive US legal MCP server for AI assistants.**

Connect Claude, GPT, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible AI to 4M+ US court opinions, Clio practice management, and PACER federal filings. Research in seconds, not hours.

---

## 30-Second Demo

```
You:  Find Supreme Court cases about Fourth Amendment and cell phone location data

LegalMCP:  Found 52 results. Top case:

  Carpenter v. United States, 585 U.S. 296 (2018)
  The Court held that accessing historical cell-site location
  information constitutes a search under the Fourth Amendment,
  requiring a warrant supported by probable cause.

  → 127 cases cite this opinion
  → Full text: courtlistener.com/opinion/4578834
```

## Why LegalMCP?

| | Traditional Research | AI + LegalMCP |
|---|---|---|
| Find relevant cases | 45-90 min | **< 30 sec** |
| Trace citation history | Open Westlaw, click around | *"Who cited this case?"* |
| Pull client billing | Log into Clio, navigate menus | *"Total hours on Henderson?"* |
| Monthly cost | $200-400 (Westlaw/Lexis) | **Free** |

## Quick Start

### Install

We recommend using a virtual environment to avoid conflicts with other packages:

```bash
# Create and activate a virtual environment
python -m venv legal-mcp-env

# Windows
legal-mcp-env\Scripts\activate

# Mac/Linux
source legal-mcp-env/bin/activate

# Install
pip install legal-mcp
```

Or install from GitHub:
```bash
pip install git+https://github.com/Mahender22/legal-mcp.git
```

### Run

Want to try it without API keys? Enable demo mode first (optional):

```bash
# Mac/Linux
export LEGAL_MCP_DEMO=true

# Windows
set LEGAL_MCP_DEMO=true
```

Then start the server:

```bash
legal-mcp
```

### Connect to Claude Desktop

Add to your `claude_desktop_config.json`:

**Windows** (`%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json`):
```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "legal-mcp": {
      "command": "C:/path/to/legal-mcp-env/Scripts/legal-mcp.exe",
      "env": {
        "LEGAL_MCP_DEMO": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

**Mac/Linux** (`~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`):
```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "legal-mcp": {
      "command": "/path/to/legal-mcp-env/bin/legal-mcp",
      "env": {
        "LEGAL_MCP_DEMO": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

> **Note:** Use the full path to `legal-mcp` inside your virtual environment. Remove the `LEGAL_MCP_DEMO` line and add your API keys for real data (see [SETUP.md](SETUP.md)).

### Connect to Claude Code

Run this command to add LegalMCP globally (available in every session):

**Mac/Linux:**
```bash
claude mcp add legal-mcp /path/to/legal-mcp-env/bin/legal-mcp
```

**Windows:**
```bash
claude mcp add legal-mcp C:\path\to\legal-mcp-env\Scripts\legal-mcp.exe
```

To enable demo mode, add the env flag:

**Mac/Linux:**
```bash
claude mcp add legal-mcp -e LEGAL_MCP_DEMO=true -- /path/to/legal-mcp-env/bin/legal-mcp
```

**Windows:**
```bash
claude mcp add legal-mcp -e LEGAL_MCP_DEMO=true -- C:\path\to\legal-mcp-env\Scripts\legal-mcp.exe
```

> **Tip:** To add it to a specific project only, add `-s project` flag or create a `.mcp.json` file in your project root.

### Connect to Cursor / Windsurf

LegalMCP works with any MCP-compatible client. Add the `legal-mcp` command to your AI tool's MCP server configuration.

## Configuration

Set environment variables for API access. See [SETUP.md](SETUP.md) for step-by-step instructions.

| Variable | Required | Description |
|----------|----------|-------------|
| `COURTLISTENER_TOKEN` | Optional | Higher rate limits for case law search |
| `CLIO_TOKEN` | For Clio tools | OAuth token for practice management |
| `PACER_USERNAME` | For PACER tools | PACER account username |
| `PACER_PASSWORD` | For PACER tools | PACER account password |
| `LEGAL_MCP_DEMO` | Optional | Set `true` for demo mode (no API keys) |

## All 18 Tools

### Case Law

| Tool | What It Does |
|------|-------------|
| `search_case_law` | Search 4M+ US court opinions by topic, court, date range |
| `get_case_details` | Get full opinion text for a specific case |
| `get_case_record` | Get docket — parties, judges, procedural history |
| `find_citing_cases` | Find cases that cite a specific opinion |
| `find_cited_cases` | Find cases that an opinion relies on |
| `parse_legal_citations` | Parse Bluebook citations from any text |
| `list_available_courts` | List all 400+ courts and their codes |
| `list_reporter_abbreviations` | Decode reporter abbreviations (U.S., F.3d, etc.) |

### Practice Management — Clio

| Tool | What It Does |
|------|-------------|
| `search_clients` | Search contacts by name, email, phone |
| `search_matters` | Search matters by number, description, status |
| `get_matter_details` | Full matter info — client, billing, deadlines |
| `get_time_entries` | Billable hours by matter, attorney, date range |
| `get_matter_tasks` | Tasks and to-dos for a matter |
| `get_matter_documents` | Documents attached to a matter |
| `get_calendar` | Hearings, deadlines, and meetings |

### Court Filings — PACER

| Tool | What It Does |
|------|-------------|
| `search_federal_cases` | Search PACER for federal court cases |
| `get_federal_case` | Get case details from PACER |
| `get_court_filings` | Get docket entries and filings |

> **Note:** PACER charges $0.10/page for document downloads. LegalMCP searches and lists for free — it does not auto-download paid documents.

## Pricing

**Free and open source.** All 18 tools, MIT license, no paywall. Just install and go.

## Docker

```bash
# Copy and configure environment
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your API keys

# Run
docker-compose up
```

This starts the MCP server on port 8000 and the waitlist API on port 8080.

## How It Works

LegalMCP is a [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/) server. MCP is an open standard that lets AI assistants call external tools — like searching case law or querying your Clio data.

```
┌──────────────┐     MCP      ┌──────────────┐      API      ┌──────────────┐
│              │  ──────────►  │              │  ──────────►  │              │
│  Claude /    │   Tool calls  │   LegalMCP   │   HTTP        │ CourtListener│
│  GPT /       │  ◄──────────  │   Server     │  ◄──────────  │ Clio / PACER │
│  Cursor      │   Results     │  (your PC)   │   JSON        │              │
└──────────────┘               └──────────────┘               └──────────────┘
```

Your data stays on your machine. LegalMCP runs locally and connects directly to the APIs.

## Development

```bash
# Clone and install
git clone https://github.com/Mahender22/legal-mcp.git
cd legal-mcp
pip install -e ".[dev,waitlist]"

# Run tests
pytest legal_mcp/tests/ -v

# Run server locally
python -m legal_mcp.src.server
```

## License

[MIT](LICENSE) — use it however you want.

---

Attribution added by YourAIKit. It is not part of the upstream file.

- Source: https://github.com/Mahender22/legal-mcp
- Credit: Mahender22, legal-mcp
- Upstream copy: Mahender22/legal-mcp at commit 0850cdd33b2f68d8b672c093e583c1da32890ee7, README.md
- Copyright: Copyright (c) 2026 LegalMCP
- License: MIT. Full text: https://youraikit.com/licenses/mahender22-legal-mcp-root/LICENSE
- Changes: YourAIKit removed 4 embedded images (badges, logos, or pictures); a linked image keeps its link as text.
- The full upstream license text (LICENSE) follows.

License (LICENSE):

```text
MIT License

Copyright (c) 2026 LegalMCP

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.
```