AI turns scanned files into searchable case data

AI legal document processing uses artificial intelligence to read, convert, and organize legal documents so their contents become usable data. Inside 8am IQ for MyCase, the Discovery Assistant applies OCR (optical character recognition) to scanned PDFs, images, and handwritten notes, turning them into searchable, structured text. Filings, exhibits, and client records you used to read page by page become instantly searchable across your matter — so your team can find facts, summarize files, and prepare faster, without leaving MyCase.

Optical character recognition (OCR) converts images of text, like a scanned court filing or a photographed contract, into machine-readable text. In legal AI software, OCR is the first step that makes everything else possible: once a document is text, AI can search it, summarize it, and extract key facts. 8am IQ Discovery Assistant runs OCR on supported documents inside MyCase, so scanned and image-based files become searchable case data your team can actually work with.

OCR makes scanned and image-based documents fully searchable. Without it, a scanned PDF is just a picture — software can't read the words inside, so the file is invisible to search. After Discovery Assistant processes a document, every name, date, and clause becomes searchable text. You can search across scanned filings, exhibits, and digital files in one place, and Case Assistant can surface answers with citations back to the original document.

Discovery Assistant removes the manual work of making documents usable. Instead of retyping scanned files, tagging them by hand, or reading page by page to find one detail, your team gets searchable text. That means faster case prep, quicker answers during client calls, and less non-billable admin. Because processing happens inside MyCase, there's no exporting to a separate OCR tool — the document is ready to search and summarize where your team already works.

Discovery Assistant works with the document types law firms handle most:  PDF, JPG, PNG, and TIFF file formats, with a maximum page count of 1,000. If you're not sure whether a specific file type or size is supported, your MyCase team can confirm during a demo.

Discovery Assistant works inside MyCase as part of 8am IQ. When you work with a supported document, it applies OCR to convert the file's contents into structured, searchable text. From there, the text is available across MyCase: you can search it directly, and Case Assistant and Document Assistant can summarize it, extract key facts, and cite back to the source — all within MyCase's secure environment, grounded in your firm's data.

Discovery Assistant is built to make supported documents searchable inside MyCase as part of your normal workflow.