
AI Search
Stop searching. Start asking.
Why search the haystack when you can ask for the needle? NetDocuments has been working with world leaders in search to accomplish a fully scaled semantic search experience. Smart Answers helps legal professionals find and use trusted information faster today. AI Search builds the semantic foundation for how legal knowledge will be discovered, understood, and used tomorrow.
What you can do with Smart Answers

Get evidence-based insights with document-level citations
Smart Answers delivers fast, evidence-backed answers from your firm’s trusted documents — built natively into NetDocuments. Every response is grounded in source documents, with citations that let you verify context, review supporting language, and trust the answers you use.

Surface relevant documents you didn’t know existed
Go beyond exact keyword matching to uncover related agreements, filings, or work product that may otherwise remain hidden in your repository. Ask questions in natural language and get clear, actionable responses grounded in the work product you already have access to, without leaving your DMS.

Synthesize information across multiple documents
Ask questions and receive consolidated answers drawn from multiple documents, helping you draft, analyze, and move work forward without manually reviewing files one by one.
WHY LEGAL PROFESSIONALS LOVE IT
Smart Answers, built into your DMS
Smart Answers is part of the NetDocuments Legal AI Assistant and works directly within your document management system.
Native to NetDocuments – No duplicated indexes, no brittle connectors, no shadow systems
Grounded in YOUR expertise
Security and governance by default – All existing permissions, ethical walls, and audit controls are automatically enforced

feature blog post
True AI Search vs. AI-Assisted Querying
Pick any month in 2026, and you’ll likely see new “AI search” announcements hitting the legal tech market. Natural language queries, ask-style interfaces, conversational search … it’s suddenly everywhere.

How it Works
Ask in natural language
Query your accessible documents using everyday language
Get clear, conversational answers
Smart Answers analyzes full text and metadata across documents to produce clear responses
Verify with citations
Review the source documents behind every answer to confirm accuracy and context
use cases
Common Use Cases
Draft faster with precedent
Identify key terms across agreements governed by specific jurisdictions, parties, or deal types.
Research at speed
Summarize multiple court orders or filings to identify patterns and trends.
Discover institutional knowledge
Locate endorsements, leases, or policies and compile insights from across your document library.
COMING SOON…
Smart Answers helps legal professionals find and use trusted information faster today. AI Search builds the semantic foundation for how legal knowledge will be discovered, understood, and used tomorrow.
This is the next step toward an increasingly intelligent DMS.
request a demo
Ready to get started?
See how Smart Answers can help your team get faster, more reliable answers from trusted work product — and learn how it fits into the future of AI search at NetDocuments.
Stay Informed
FAQs
How does Smart Answers work?
Ask questions in natural language and Smart Answers analyzes full text and metadata across documents you are authorized to access, returning clear answers with document-level citations.
How long are conversations maintained by Smart Answers and the Legal AI Assistant?
Conversations are maintained for 30 days from the last interaction with that conversation.
What is the risk of AI hallucinations with Smart Answers?
Because answers are grounded in accessible documents and include citations, the risk of hallucinations is reduced. We recommend reviewing cited sources to confirm results.
When querying across multiple documents, how do I know which document contains the answer to my question?
Each response includes document-level citations that show exactly which documents contributed to the answer.
What are the future plans for Smart Answers?
Smart Answers will continue to evolve as part of the NetDocuments Legal AI platform, with expanded AI Search capabilities planned for later in 2026.
Resources
Level up with these resources
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- eBook/Whitepaper
1-Minute Guide to Why an Intelligent DMS Matters Now
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- Webinar
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