add readme noting this is a very old and abandoned project
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KS Jannette
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# Novodraft
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**Version:** 0.3.0 (end - January, 2023)
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**Original Development:** 0.0.1 (January, 2022)
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Novodraft: a web application that uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to automate the drafting of legal discovery documents in
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civil litigation. Written in [JavaScript](https://262.ecma-international.org/6.0/) and [Python](https://www.python.org/) using
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[React](https://react.dev/) for the UI, with
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[Node.js](https://nodejs.org/) and [Express.js](https://expressjs.com/) on the backend.
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License: [GPL Version 3](https://opensource.org/license/gpl-3-0).
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Novodraft was intended for use by attorneys and legal professionals handling
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civil litigation, particularly those who draft discovery documents such as
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interrogatories, requests for production, and requests for admissions. The
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application automates discovery drafting, allowing attorneys to focus on tailoring substantive legal arguments as they see fit.
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## Features
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Novodraft generates both outgoing discovery requests and responses to incoming requests. The application:
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- Accepts [PDF](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PDF) uploads of incoming discovery requests
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- Parses and classifies document types (interrogatories, requests for production, requests for admissions, or combined formats)
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- Uses the [OpenAI](https://openai.com/)
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[Application Programming Interface (API)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/API) to generate legally-sound objections and responses
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- Applies [Conclusion, Rule, Application, Conclusion (CRAC)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CRAC) structure where appropriate
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- Formats output documents according to state-specific court styles (New York,
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New Jersey, Florida, Michigan)
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- Exports completed documents as [.docx](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_Open_XML) files ready for service on opposing counsel
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## Architecture
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This is a client-server monorepo:
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```
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Novodraft/
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├── ax3Client/ # React frontend application
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└── ax3Services/ # Node.js/Python backend services (incl. LLM API)
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```
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### Frontend (ax3Client)
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- A [React](https://react.dev/) 18 single-page application using:
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- [React Router](https://reactrouter.com/) for navigation
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- [React Bootstrap](https://react-bootstrap.github.io/) for
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[User Interface (UI)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_interface) components
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- [Firebase](https://firebase.google.com/) Authentication for user management
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- [Stripe](https://stripe.com/) for subscription payments
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- [SCSS](https://sass-lang.com/) for styling
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### Backend (ax3Services)
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A collection of [Node.js](https://nodejs.org/) and
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[Python](https://www.python.org/) services:
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- **docGenService**: Generates formatted
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[.docx](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_Open_XML) documents using the
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[python-docx](https://python-docx.readthedocs.io/) library
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- **docParserService**: Parses and classifies uploaded discovery documents
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- **docConvertService**: Converts PDFs to processable formats
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- **tesseReaderService**: Performs
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[Optical Character Recognition (OCR)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_character_recognition) using [Tesseract.js](https://tesseract.projectnaptha.com/)
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- **agentService**: Manages [OpenAI](https://openai.com/) API interactions and prompt templates
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- **paymentService**: Handles [Stripe](https://stripe.com/) payment processing
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- **storageService**: Manages document storage operations
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## Getting Started
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### Prerequisites
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Install the following on your system:
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**For Debian/Ubuntu:**
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```bash
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sudo apt-get update
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sudo apt-get install -y nodejs npm python3 python3-pip
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```
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**For macOS (using [Homebrew](https://brew.sh/)):**
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```bash
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brew install node python3
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```
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Verify installations:
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```bash
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node --version # Should be v18.x or higher
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npm --version # Should be v9.x or higher
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python3 --version # Should be v3.8 or higher
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```
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### Installation
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1. Clone the repository:
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```bash
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git clone <repository-url>
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cd Novodraft
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```
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1. Install frontend dependencies:
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```bash
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cd ax3Client
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npm install
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```
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1. Install backend dependencies:
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```bash
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cd ../ax3Services
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npm install
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pip3 install python-docx
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```
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1. Configure environment variables. Create `.env` files in both `ax3Client/` and
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`ax3Services/` directories with the following variables:
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**ax3Client/.env:**
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```
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REACT_APP_API_DEV=http://localhost:3001
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REACT_APP_API_PROD=<your-production-api-url>
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REACT_APP_FIREBASE_API_KEY=<your-firebase-api-key>
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REACT_APP_FIREBASE_AUTH_DOMAIN=<your-firebase-auth-domain>
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REACT_APP_FIREBASE_PROJECT_ID=<your-firebase-project-id>
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```
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**ax3Services/.env:**
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```
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OPENAI_API_KEY=<your-openai-api-key>
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STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=<your-stripe-secret-key>
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```
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1. Configure [Firebase](https://firebase.google.com/). Create a Firebase project
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and enable:
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- Authentication (Email/Password)
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- Cloud Firestore
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### Running the Application
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Start the frontend development server:
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```bash
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cd ax3Client
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npm start
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```
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The frontend will be available at `http://localhost:3000`.
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Start the backend services:
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```bash
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cd ax3Services
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npm start
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```
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### Building for Production
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```bash
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cd ax3Client
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npm run build
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```
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The production build will be output to `ax3Client/build/`.
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## Supported Document Types
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Novodraft handles the following discovery document types:
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| Type | Description |
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| ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------- |
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| Interrogatories | Written questions requiring sworn answers |
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| Requests for Production | Demands for documents and tangible evidence |
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| Requests for Admissions | Requests to admit or deny specific facts |
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| Combined/Numbered | Documents containing multiple request types |
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## State-Specific Formatting
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The document generation service applies jurisdiction-specific caption headers
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and formatting for:
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- New York
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- New Jersey
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- Florida
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- Michigan
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## Versioning
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This project uses [Semantic Versioning (SemVer)](https://semver.org/). Version
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numbers follow the format MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH:
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- MAJOR: Incompatible API changes
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- MINOR: Backwards-compatible functionality additions
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- PATCH: Backwards-compatible bug fixes
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## Background
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This project began in 2021 as an early experiment with
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[Large Language Model (LLM)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_language_model)
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technology to automate the creation of discovery documents in civil litigation.
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The version in this repository represents work completed through January 2023.
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The codebase was migrated from [GitHub](https://github.com/) to a self-hosted
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[Gitea](https://about.gitea.com/) instance.
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## Participation
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### Contributing
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Contributions are welcome, but be aware this project has largely been abandoned since 2023. The project maintainers make no guarantee that submitted pull requests will be merged. To contribute:
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1. Fork the repository
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2. Create a feature branch
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3. Make your changes
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4. Submit a pull request
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Bug reports should be submitted via Git issues.
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No Contributor License Agreement (CLA) is required.
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### Code of Conduct
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Contributors are expected to:
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- Contribute in a spirit that seeks to improve society and human well-being
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- Avoid harm
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- Be honest and trustworthy
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- Respect the work required to produce new ideas, inventions, creative works,
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and computing artifacts
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- Respect privacy
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- Be fair and do not discriminate
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- Create code that promotes these principles
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### Privacy
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Novodraft does not transmit user activity data off of the device on which it is
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run beyond what is necessary for the core functionality (authentication,
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payment processing, and AI document generation).
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## Authors
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- sj — [sj@sjdev.co](mailto:sj@sjdev.co)
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## License
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This project is licensed under the
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[GNU General Public License Version 3](https://opensource.org/license/gpl-3-0).
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See the LICENSE file for details.
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