Case Contrast puts Philippine cases side by side in an aligned table — one column per case, one row per dimension — so you can see exactly where two rulings diverge. Two modes: Basic (four dimensions: Focus of Dispute, Legal Facts, Judgment & Reasoning, Evidence) and Advanced (seven, adding Parties, Applicable Provisions, and Procedural History). Pull cases by number/title from the corpus or upload your own (.txt / .pdf / .docx). Every case traces back to its source.
(In the Intellegal app this feature is labelled Case Comparison; "Case Contrast" is its public name. Same tool.)
The task behind the feature
A senior partner drops two decisions on your desk: "These both touch the same area. Tell me how the second changed the first, and whether our client's facts fall on the good side of the line." Done by hand, that means reading both end to end and building a comparison table from scratch. The reading is unavoidable — the alignment is mechanical, and that is the part Case Contrast removes.
Two modes: Basic and Advanced
Once both cases are selected, a Basic / Advanced toggle appears next to Start Comparison. The two modes differ in how many dimensions they compare — and how deeply:
- Basic — four dimensions. Focus of Dispute, Legal Facts, Judgment & Reasoning, Evidence. The quick read that shows the shape of the divergence in one screen.
- Advanced — seven dimensions. Everything in Basic, plus Parties, Applicable Provisions (the statutes and rules each court applied), and Procedural History (the path through the courts) — with each cell broken out in more structured detail, and a per-dimension similarities-and-differences analysis below the table.
What you get
A single side-by-side view: a Dimension / Case A / Case B table with each case broken into the same dimensions, aligned row for row. You read down a dimension — Focus to Focus, Reasoning to Reasoning — rather than reading two decisions end to end. The Judgment & Reasoning row, broken out by court level (RTC → CA → SC), is usually where doctrinal movement becomes visible; the Evidence row tells you the evidentiary bar each court required.
Why side-by-side beats a single summary
A one-case summary tells you what a court held. It cannot tell you what changed. Doctrinal arguments — "this controlling case is distinguishable," "the rule has since been relaxed," "our facts fall under the newer standard" — are inherently comparative. They only become visible when two reasonings sit in the same frame. That is the whole premise: alignment, not just summarization.
How it works, briefly
Pick two cases (or more) → choose Basic or Advanced → Intellegal parses each decision and extracts the chosen dimensions → it renders the aligned table, each case traceable to its source. Want the full detail, including exactly what Advanced adds and a worked example? Read How Case Contrast Works.
Who it's for
- Junior associates handed "compare these cases and tell me how the doctrine moved" — Basic for the shape, Advanced for the provisions and procedural posture a senior asks about next.
- Bar candidates studying doctrinal lines — read a line as a sequence of contrasts, each case against the one before it.
- Any practitioner distinguishing a precedent — the Legal Facts and Evidence rows are where "our matter is closer to this case than that one" lives.
Verify before you cite
Case Contrast is a research aid, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Each case traces back to its source decision; the verification duty stays with you, and the feature's value is that it makes that verification quick. Confirm every holding against the original before you rely on it.
Related reading
- How Case Contrast Works — the full account, including what Advanced adds and a worked example.
- Deep Synthesis — when the question spans more than two cases and you need a structured, multi-source research report.
- Contract Review — the same verify-before-you-rely discipline, applied to clauses instead of cases.
FAQ
What is the difference between Basic and Advanced?
Basic compares across four dimensions (Focus of Dispute, Legal Facts, Judgment & Reasoning, Evidence). Advanced compares across seven, adding Parties, Applicable Provisions, and Procedural History, with more structured detail and a per-dimension similarities-and-differences analysis. Basic is the quick read; Advanced is the fuller analysis.
What does Case Contrast compare?
Philippine cases, side by side, in an aligned Dimension / Case A / Case B table — so you can read down a dimension and see where two rulings agree, where they diverge, and how a doctrine shifted between them.
How do I give it cases?
Type a case number or title into Case A and Case B to pull from the corpus, or upload your own document (.txt, .pdf, .docx). An Add Case control lets you compare more than two. Then pick Basic or Advanced and start.
Are the cases verifiable?
Yes. Each case is drawn from the corpus and traces back to its source decision, so you can confirm the holding against the original before relying on it. The feature makes the lawyer's verification duty practical to perform; it does not remove it.
Is this legal advice?
No. Case Contrast is a research aid, not a law firm. It does not provide legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship. You remain the final reviewer of every case and holding before relying on it.