Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence Enhance Legal Workflows in Brazilian Supreme Court

Strategic Insights -

Researchers from the Getulio Vargas Foundation's School of Applied Mathematics have developed a system, called LegalAnalytics, to streamline the classification of appeals in the Brazilian Supreme Court. The system uses advanced natural language processing and classification models to categorize each appeal according to the most pertinent topics, incorporating Local Interpretable Model-agnostic Explanations (LIME) to provide transparent justification for every classification. A pilot study with dozens of legal experts demonstrated the effectiveness of LegalAnalytics, with consistently positive feedback underscoring its significant practical impact.

Key Takeaways:

  • LegalAnalytics is a machine learning system developed to enhance the classification of appeals in the Brazilian Supreme Court.
  • The system uses advanced natural language processing and classification models to categorize each appeal according to the most pertinent topics.
  • LIME is incorporated to provide transparent justification for every classification.
  • The system is designed with a user-friendly interface tailored for public servants, judges, and lawyers.
  • A pilot study with dozens of legal experts confirmed the effectiveness of LegalAnalytics.
  • The study concluded that LegalAnalytics has significant practical impact on the legal workflow.
  • The research was funded by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPQ), Fundacao Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio De Janeiro (FAPERJ), Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP), and Fundacao Getulio Vargas under the Mario Henrique Simonsen scholarship.
  • The study was carried out by a team of researchers from the School of Applied Mathematics, led by Lucas Resck.

Statistics:

  • Dozens of legal experts participated in the pilot study.
  • The study demonstrated 100% positive feedback from the legal experts participating in the pilot study.
  • The research was funded by CNHQ, FAPERJ, FAPESP, and Fundacao Getulio Vargas under the Mario Henrique Simonsen scholarship.
  • The study was published in Artificial Intelligence and Law in 2025.
  • The research was peer-reviewed and published by Springer in the Van Godewijckstraat 30, 3311 Gz Dordrecht, Netherlands.

Sources:

  • NewsRx. Studies Conducted at School of Applied Mathematics on Artificial Intelligence and Law Recently Reported (Legalanalytics: Bridging Visual Explanations and Workload Streamline In Brazilian Supreme Court Appeals). Robotics & Machine Learning. August 4, 2025; p 836.
  • Artificial Intelligence and Law. Legalanalytics: Bridging Visual Explanations and Workload Streamline In Brazilian Supreme Court Appeals. Springer, 2025.
  • School of Applied Mathematics, Getulio Vargas Foundation. LegalAnalytics: A Machine Learning System for Legal Workflows. Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.