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Research · Legal

Legal research support so attorneys can focus on billable work

By Zack Pennington, CEO Updated

Legal professionals lose significant time to research tasks that don't require a JD: case background checks, regulatory lookups, competitor intelligence, and client intake research. A Nacho EA handles the time-consuming groundwork so you can walk into a deposition or client meeting already prepared. This isn't paralegal work; it's the research layer that supports your team without adding headcount.

Tools we work with: LinkedIn Sales Navigator Apollo.io SEMrush SimilarWeb

Can a Virtual Assistant handle research for lawyers and law firms?

Yes. Nacho matches lawyers and law firms with a vetted, 100% US-based Specialist who owns research week after week, not a one-off task. You start with a $300 Delegation Strategy Plan, set a monthly Talent Budget from $1,000, and we match you in about a week.

See how the match works What a Talent Budget costs Book a discovery call

How it works

How your Specialist owns research for lawyers and law firms

A Nacho EA assigned to legal research typically works within tools your team already uses: Clio, MyCase, or a shared Google Drive, and follows a research brief you provide or that your Client Success Manager helps you build during onboarding. Day-to-day, they handle tasks like pulling public court records via PACER, compiling state-specific regulatory summaries, researching opposing counsel or expert witnesses using LinkedIn and public databases, and organizing findings into structured memos or spreadsheets your attorneys can act on immediately. You review the output and flag what needs refinement; the EA iterates and maintains a running research log so nothing gets duplicated. Your role is to set the direction and standards, the EA handles the execution.

Off your plate

What your Specialist takes off your plate

The most common mistake attorneys make when first delegating research is handing off a vague request, 'find everything on this company', without specifying the decision it needs to support. Before your first research assignment, write one sentence explaining what you'll do with the findings; that context alone will make the output significantly more useful. It also helps to share one example of a past research memo you considered well-organized so your EA can match your preferred format from day one.

  1. Public Court Records Research via PACER

    Pulling case history, docket entries, and filed documents for opposing parties or referenced precedents using PACER and state court portals.

  2. Regulatory and Compliance Research

    Compiling jurisdiction-specific statutes, agency rules, or recent regulatory changes relevant to a client matter using official government sources and legal databases.

  3. Opposing Counsel and Expert Witness Profiling

    Researching professional backgrounds, published opinions, prior case involvement, and public statements using LinkedIn, bar association directories, and Westlaw profiles.

  4. Client and Business Entity Due Diligence

    Running background checks on prospective clients or counterparties using Secretary of State filings, litigation history, and public records to support intake decisions.

  5. Legal News and Case Law Monitoring

    Setting up and managing alerts via Google Alerts or Westlaw to track developments in relevant practice areas, flagging items that warrant attorney review.

Your stack

Tools our team works with

We adapt to your existing stack, no forced migrations.

SEMrush
Gemini
Apollo.io
ChatGPT
SimilarWeb
Statista

...and many more!

Client proof

Trusted by lawyers and law firms

Nacho supports lawyers and law firms including Advantage Evans, La Firma Inmigrantes Primero, Rupal Law, handling everything from research to broader operational support.

The model

What delegating to Nacho actually looks like

This is ongoing delegation to one vetted, US-based person, not a task posted to a marketplace.

  1. Start with a Delegation Strategy Plan

    A one-time $300 onboarding fee pairs you with a Client Success Manager who maps what to hand off first. See the full process.

  2. Get matched in about a week

    We match you with a vetted, 100% US-based Specialist in your time zone. If the fit is not right, the Nacho Guarantee re-matches you free.

  3. Set a monthly Talent Budget

    Budgets start at $1,000 a month and draw across Executive Assistants from $40/hr, Specialists from $65/hr, and Fractional Executives from $125/hr. Up to $200 of unused budget rolls over each month. See pricing in detail.

  4. Three months, then month to month

    The initial term is three months so the working relationship has time to compound, then it rolls month to month. Book a discovery call to size yours.

Talent Budget

What delegating research costs for lawyers and law firms

Drag the sliders to build a monthly plan that fits your workload.

Executive Assistants
from $40/hour
10 hours $400
Specialists
from $65/hour
20 hours $1,300
Fractional Executives
from $125/hour
0 hours $0
Your monthly budget
$1,700

Starting at $1,000/month. One-time $300 onboarding fee includes your Delegation Strategy Plan.

Good questions

Frequently asked questions

Can a Nacho EA access Westlaw or LexisNexis for research?
Nacho EAs can work within research platforms you provide access to, including Westlaw, LexisNexis, or Clio Grow. They don't come with their own subscriptions to paid legal databases, so you'd need to grant credentials for any licensed tools. For tasks relying on public records, PACER, state court portals, and open-source research, no additional access is needed.
Is this appropriate for confidential client matters?
Nacho EAs are US-based professionals who sign confidentiality agreements as part of the engagement. That said, you should evaluate what level of client detail needs to be shared for each task, many research requests can be scoped in a way that limits exposure to sensitive case specifics. Your Client Success Manager can help you think through how to structure assignments appropriately.
How is this different from hiring a paralegal or a legal research service?
A Nacho EA isn't a paralegal and won't perform legal analysis or draft documents requiring legal judgment, that distinction is important. What they do well is the research groundwork that precedes that analysis: gathering, organizing, and summarizing information from public and licensed sources so your attorneys and paralegals can work faster. It's a cost-effective layer starting at $40/hr with no long-term hiring commitment.

Ready when you are

Put your next research task in better hands

Nacho's onboarding includes a Delegation Strategy Plan built around your practice's actual workflow, so your EA is ready to produce usable research output from week one. Monthly plans start at $1,000 with a one-time $300 onboarding fee.

Not sure yet? See how it works, compare the Executive Assistant, Specialist, and Fractional Executive roles, or read why we stayed 100% US-based.