Voice to Text for Legal Researchers
You spend hours reading cases, statutes, and secondary sources. Your mind synthesizes complex legal arguments effortlessly. But when it comes to documenting your findings, typing becomes the bottleneck. Blurt lets you dictate case summaries, research memos, legal brief drafts, and citation notes as fast as you can articulate them. Hold a button, speak your analysis, release. Text appears wherever your cursor is — in Word, Westlaw Edge, LexisNexis, your research database, anywhere. Your expertise deserves a faster path from thought to page.
The Typing Problem
Reading fifty cases but only documenting ten before deadline
You've pulled every relevant case from the last two decades. The partner needs a comprehensive memo by tomorrow. You understand the legal landscape perfectly — you could explain it to someone in fifteen minutes. But typing a detailed research memo with proper citations takes hours. By midnight, you've only written up half the cases you analyzed. The other half exists only in your head, vulnerable to being forgotten or overlooked.
Citation notes that take longer to type than to think
You found the perfect case. It's directly on point, the facts are analogous, and the holding supports your argument. You know exactly what to write in your notes: the citation, the key holding, the relevant page numbers, how it connects to your theory. But typing it all out — including the proper citation format — takes five minutes. Multiply that by forty cases and you've lost half your research day to transcription.
Precedent analysis trapped in your mind instead of on paper
You've traced a legal doctrine through fifteen years of appellate decisions. You understand how the courts have evolved their interpretation, where the circuit splits exist, which factors they weigh most heavily. This analysis is valuable. But translating this nuanced understanding into written form requires sustained typing focus that pulls you away from the analytical thinking you do best.
Research memos that get shorter than they should be
The memo should be thorough. You know it should cover the minority view, the policy arguments, the potential counterarguments. But typing is slow, the deadline is approaching, and something has to give. So the memo becomes truncated — technically complete but not as comprehensive as your actual analysis. Your best insights never make it to the page because typing them would take too long.
Legal brief drafts that lose momentum to keyboard fatigue
You're drafting an argument section and the logic is flowing. One case leads to another, the reasoning builds, you can see exactly how the brief should unfold. Then your fingers start cramping. You pause to rest. The momentum breaks. When you return to typing, you've lost the thread. The brief becomes a series of disconnected paragraphs instead of the seamless argument you envisioned.
How It Works
Blurt works in every application legal researchers use — Westlaw Edge, LexisNexis, Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Clio, your case management system. Anywhere you can place a cursor.
Hold your hotkey
Press your chosen shortcut. A small indicator shows Blurt is listening.
Dictate your analysis
Speak your research memo, case summary, or brief section. Blurt handles punctuation automatically.
Release and done
Text appears at your cursor. No copying, no pasting, no waiting for transcription.
Real Scenarios
Dictating case summaries while reading decisions
You're reviewing a circuit court opinion that's directly relevant to your research. Instead of switching between reading and typing, hold your hotkey while your eyes stay on the screen: 'Morrison v. National Australia Bank, 561 U.S. 247, 2010. Supreme Court applied presumption against extraterritoriality to Section 10(b). Key holding: focus of the Exchange Act is domestic, not foreign, transactions. Relevant to our analysis because client's transactions occurred primarily overseas.' Case summarized in thirty seconds. Move to the next opinion without breaking focus.
Building citation notes in real-time
You're working through a stack of cases on qualified immunity. Each one needs proper documentation. Hold your button and speak as you read: 'Harlow v. Fitzgerald, 457 U.S. 800, 818, 1982. Established objective reasonableness standard. Quote: Officials are shielded from liability for civil damages insofar as their conduct does not violate clearly established statutory or constitutional rights. Page 818.' Full citation note captured without your eyes leaving the case.
Drafting precedent analysis sections
You've identified a circuit split on constructive discharge standards. Instead of typing for an hour, hold your hotkey and articulate your analysis: 'The Ninth Circuit applies a reasonable person standard, asking whether a reasonable employee would feel compelled to resign. See Watson v. Nationwide Insurance, 823 F.2d 360. The Fourth Circuit, by contrast, requires deliberate employer conduct intended to force resignation. See Martin v. Cavalier Hotel, 48 F.3d 1343. This split matters for our case because...' Complex analysis documented in minutes.
Creating research memo first drafts
The partner asked for a memo on personal jurisdiction after the Supreme Court's recent decisions. You've done the research; now you need to write it up. Hold your button: 'Question presented: Whether the court has specific personal jurisdiction over the defendant corporation based on the allegedly tortious conduct. Short answer: Likely no. Under Ford Motor Co. v. Montana Eighth Judicial District Court, the plaintiff must demonstrate that the defendant's forum activities gave rise to the claim. Here, the relevant conduct occurred entirely outside the forum state.' First draft section complete in two minutes.
Drafting argument sections for legal briefs
You're writing the argument section of a summary judgment motion. The legal framework is clear in your mind. Hold and speak: 'The undisputed facts establish that defendant breached the duty of care. Under Palsgraf v. Long Island Railroad, 248 N.Y. 339, a defendant owes a duty to those within the zone of foreseeable harm. Here, plaintiff was standing directly adjacent to the construction site. Defendant's own safety manual, Exhibit D, acknowledges that pedestrians within fifty feet require protective barriers.' Argument drafted at the speed of thought.
Documenting statutory analysis
You're parsing a complex regulatory scheme and need to document your interpretation. Hold your button: 'Section 1981 applies to contracts, but the statute does not define the term. Courts have interpreted contracts broadly to include at-will employment relationships. See Domino's Pizza v. McDonald, 546 U.S. 470. However, the statute requires an actual contract, not merely a prospective contractual relationship. Patterson v. McLean Credit Union, 491 U.S. 164, 176-177.' Statutory analysis captured precisely as you understood it.
Recording research session notes
You've spent three hours down a research rabbit hole and need to document your path before moving on. Hold your hotkey and speak through your findings: 'Searched Westlaw for ERISA preemption cases in healthcare context. Found seventeen relevant decisions from 2020-2025. Key trend: courts increasingly finding state pharmacy benefit laws are not preempted when they regulate insurance rather than plan administration. Best cases: Rutledge v. Pharmaceutical Care Management, Supreme Court 2020, and the subsequent circuit applications.' Research session documented for future reference or handoff.
Why legal researchers choose Blurt over built-in dictation
| Blurt | macOS Dictation | |
|---|---|---|
| Activation | Single hotkey, instant start | Click microphone icon or double-tap function key |
| Speed | Text appears in under 500ms | 2-3 second delay before transcription |
| Legal citations | Handles case names and citations accurately | Frequently mangles case names and volume numbers |
| Latin phrases | Recognizes stare decisis, res judicata, etc. | Often misinterprets legal Latin |
| Long-form dictation | Maintains accuracy across extended sessions | Degrades during longer dictation periods |
Frequently Asked Questions
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