Once you’re comfortable with JADE’s core features, these tips will help you work faster.

Search shortcuts

Use the search bar as a command line. You don’t need to click through menus. Type a citation, an act name, a party name, or a keyword directly into the search bar and JADE will route you to the right place.

Open results in new tabs. When reviewing search results, hold Ctrl (or Cmd on Mac) and click to open cases in new tabs. This lets you scan through multiple results without losing your search.

Use quotation marks for exact phrases. Searching for “proportionality test” (with quotes) finds that exact phrase. Without quotes, JADE will find documents containing both words anywhere.

Navigation tips

Use your browser’s back button. JADE is a web application, and the back button works the way you’d expect. If you’ve followed a chain of citations and want to retrace your steps, just click back.

Bookmark specific provisions. If you return to the same section of legislation regularly, bookmark the URL in your browser. JADE’s URLs are stable — a bookmarked provision will still work next year.

Use the table of contents. When reading long judgments, use JADE’s table of contents panel to jump to specific sections. This is faster than scrolling through a 200-paragraph judgment looking for the section on damages.

Research workflow tips

Set alerts early. If you’re researching an issue for an ongoing matter, set alerts on the key provisions and cases as soon as you identify them. You’ll be notified automatically if anything new is published.

Use the “cited by” count as a quality signal. A case that has been cited 200 times is likely a leading authority. A case cited 3 times might be less influential. Check the cited-by count before deciding how much weight to give a decision.

Cross-reference with legislation comparison. If your matter involves a provision that has been amended, use the legislation comparison tool to see exactly what changed and when. This is especially important for transitional provisions.

Organisation tips

Create JADEmark folders for each matter. Keep your research organised by client or matter from the start. It takes seconds to create a folder and it saves significant time when you need to return to your research later.

Add notes to your JADEmarks. Your future self will thank you. A one-line note explaining why a case is relevant (“leading authority on reliance in misleading conduct claims”) is worth more than a dozen un-annotated bookmarks.