Find New Lawsuits & Reach Parties That Need Counsel

Overview

A newly filed lawsuit is one of the most time-sensitive legal needs there is — the clock starts the moment it's filed, and the defendant (or a plaintiff whose current counsel isn't a fit) needs representation fast. A litigation firm that spots the filing and reaches the right person early, before the representation decision is locked, has a narrow but real window.

This Hound watches court dockets in your jurisdictions, filters for the case types and parties that fit your practice, finds the party or their in-house contact, and opens the conversation while the matter is fresh.

Note: some jurisdictions and case types (e.g. individuals in sensitive personal matters) are inappropriate for automated outreach. This play is built for business-to-business litigation — commercial disputes, IP, employment, and similar — not solicitation of individuals in distress. Configure your brief accordingly.

How to set it up

Four things to brief your Hound. This is the exact configuration behind this play.

A · Describe the opportunity

This is the brief every source is filtered against. You describe what you're looking for in plain language, add keywords to sharpen it, then set the structured criteria.

Tell Forest what you're looking for:

"I'm looking for newly filed business litigation in my jurisdictions and practice areas — commercial disputes, IP infringement, employment, breach of contract, and similar matters involving companies. I want the named business party (usually the defendant) who will need counsel. I want these soon after filing, while representation is still open. Match to my case types and courts. Skip matters involving individuals in personal or sensitive circumstances, class actions already led by major firms, and anything outside my practice."

Keywords to watch for: complaint filed · lawsuit · breach of contract · infringement · employment dispute · commercial litigation · defendant · [your case types] · [your courts]

Fields to extract: case_caption · court · filing_date · case_type · plaintiff · defendant · cause_of_action · docket_number

Match criteria:

• ✓ Case type matches your practice (commercial, IP, employment, etc.)

• ✓ A named business party needs counsel

• ✓ Court within your jurisdiction

• ✗ Exclude matters involving individuals in sensitive/personal circumstances

• ✗ Exclude cases with major firms already appearing

B · Choose the sources to monitor

Court dockets are public, though access varies — federal via PACER (paid per search) with free mirrors, and state/county via each court's portal. You point Forest at the courts you practice in.

Federal dockets

• CourtListener / RECAP — courtlistener.com — Free federal docket search and alerts (RECAP archive of PACER). 🟢 The best free starting point.

• Justia Dockets — dockets.justia.com — Free federal civil case search, RSS by court/party/type. 🟢

• PACER — pacer.uscourts.gov — Official federal records; fees apply per search. 💳 Connect if you already use it.

State & county courts (bring your own link) 🔵 free — public court portals

• How to find yours: Search "[your state or county] court case search" or "[your state] judiciary public access". Most state court systems publish a public docket search. Paste the case-search page for the courts you practice in.

• Examples: New York — iapps.courts.state.ny.us · California — courts.ca.gov (county portals) · Texas — county district clerk portals.

News & Press 🟡 default source, always on — reads the open web against your brief for lawsuit coverage and regulatory actions that surface before or alongside the docket.

C · Define the ICP to reach

Which people to find and reach at the business party, in priority order, with fallbacks.

1. General Counsel / Head of Legal — Primary — owns the representation decision — PRIMARY

2. CEO / Owner — Primary at smaller companies with no in-house legal

3. CFO / Risk Manager — Fallback, often involved in litigation and insurance decisions — FALLBACK

D · Email & LinkedIn sequence

The play the Hound runs for each match. Fields from the docket drop in as variables. Tone stays professional and restrained — this is a stressful moment for the recipient.

Email · Day 0 I saw that {{defendant}} was named in a recently filed {{case_type}} matter in {{court}}. These move quickly, and getting the right counsel engaged early matters. Our firm handles {{case_type}} cases like this; if you're still evaluating representation, we'd welcome a brief, confidential conversation.

↓ Wait 2 days · no reply

LinkedIn · connection request · Day 2 Hi {{first_name}} — reaching out regarding a legal matter involving {{defendant}}. Would value connecting.

↓ Wait 3 days · no reply

Email · Day 5 · follow-up Following up — even if you've engaged counsel, we're glad to be a second opinion on strategy for the {{case_type}} matter, or a resource for future needs. Here if useful.

⏸ Any reply on either channel pauses the whole sequence — the conversation is yours.