New Delhi, March 27 -- When a layperson thinks about lawyers, the image that comes to their mind is of a black coat arguing his case vociferously in a court of law. However, an argument or making a case in front of a judge is just a fraction of a lawyer's job. What lies behind that one appearance in court is a humongous amount of research, analysis, fact-finding and sifting piles of case histories to find precedents that resonate with his/her argument.

Legal research is an indispensable part of lawyers' jobs and is fundamentally important to their success. Not just practicing lawyers, research is the central tenet of the job of consultants as well. Understandably, conducting impeccable research is the most time-consuming component of leg...