> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://support.vlex.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://support.vlex.com/vincent-by-vlex/vincent/core-workflows/research-us-court-dockets-with-docket-insights-in-vincent/choose-between-docket-insights-and-the-classic-docket-workflows-in-vincent.md).

# Choose Between Docket Insights and the Classic Docket Workflows in Vincent

Vincent offers two routes into Docket Alarm court records: the classic docket workflows and the conversational Docket Insights skill. When to use each.

#### Summary

Vincent offers two routes into Docket Alarm court records: the classic docket workflows and the conversational **Docket Insights** skill. This guide explains when to use each.

{% hint style="warning" %}
**United States only.** Both routes draw on Docket Alarm's court record database, which covers US courts exclusively. Neither is available for matters in other jurisdictions.
{% endhint %}

### Why This is Important

If you already use [**Docket Research**](/vincent-by-vlex/vincent/core-workflows/docket-research.md), [**Profile a Judge**](/vincent-by-vlex/vincent/core-workflows/profile-a-judge.md), or any of Vincent's other docket workflows, nothing has been taken away. Those workflows continue to work exactly as before. What has changed is that the same court records are now also reachable conversationally, through Docket Insights in Agentic Mode.

That leaves a practical question: which one should you open? The answer depends less on which is newer and more on what you need at the end. When you want a predictable deliverable in a known format, the classic workflows are built for that. When you are investigating and the next question depends on the last answer, Docket Insights is built for that. Knowing which situation you are in saves you from starting over halfway through.

### The Quick Answer

* [**Reach for a classic docket workflow** ](/vincent-by-vlex/vincent/core-workflows/docket-research.md)when you know exactly what you want, need the output in a consistent format, or want to hand the task to someone without asking them to compose a prompt.
* **Reach for Docket Insights** when you are exploring, when your next question depends on the last answer, or when the question spans both court records and the law itself.

Both draw on the same underlying data, over 1 billion US court records from Docket Alarm, so neither gives you access the other lacks. The difference is the shape of the interaction and the shape of the output.

### Side-by-Side Comparison

| Dimension                   | Classic Docket Workflows                                                                                         | Docket Insights                                                                                        |
| --------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **How you start**           | Select the workflow by name from the list on the Vincent home page                                               | Ask your question naturally, or type `/docket` and select **Docket Insights** from the **Skills** menu |
| **Requirements**            | Works in Classic Vincent                                                                                         | Requires **Agentic Mode** to be active                                                                 |
| **Choosing the tool**       | You choose the workflow that matches your task                                                                   | Vincent routes the question for you — no need to know which capability applies                         |
| **Output format**           | Consistent and predictable: a research memo with a document list, or a structured comparison table               | Conversational, and shaped to the question asked                                                       |
| **Following up**            | Each run is self-contained; a new question means a new run                                                       | Context carries across turns; refine, narrow, or pivot without restarting                              |
| **Depth of reading**        | Analyses filings and returns links to the source documents                                                       | Opens and reads individual filings, then reasons across them                                           |
| **Combining with case law** | Docket research and legal research are separate workflows                                                        | A single answer can combine court records with **vLex Library** authority                              |
| **Exporting and sharing**   | **Find Similar Matters** downloads to Excel or CSV; **Find Litigation Precedents** produces a shareable memo URL | Copy from the conversation, or continue drafting in **Legal Pad**                                      |

### When to Use a Classic Docket Workflow

Reach for the named workflows when:

* **You need the same output shape every time.** If a judge profile or precedent memo feeds into a template your team already uses, the fixed structure of the classic workflow is a feature, not a limitation.
* **You need a downloadable table.** **Find Similar Matters** produces a structured case-by-case comparison you can export to Excel or CSV. Docket Insights does not produce a downloadable table.
* **You need a shareable link to the research.** **Find Litigation Precedents** generates a URL you can send to a colleague with the complete memo intact.
* **Your search key is a document, not a description.** **Find Similar Matters** takes an uploaded complaint or motion as its blueprint and returns a ranked list of analogous cases.
* **You are delegating the task.** Selecting **Profile a Judge** and typing a judge's name requires no prompt-writing skill. It is the lower-friction option for a colleague who runs this occasionally.
* **You are not using Agentic Mode.** Docket Insights will not activate in Classic Vincent.

### When to Use Docket Insights

Reach for Docket Insights when:

* **You are investigating rather than retrieving.** When you do not yet know what you are looking for and each answer determines the next question, the conversation carries your context forward instead of resetting.
* **You need to narrow results without starting over.** Filter by date, court, judge, outcome, or dollar range in plain language, mid-conversation.
* **The question spans court records and the law.** *"What is the standard for this motion, and has this argument actually worked before this judge?"* is one question to Docket Insights and two separate workflows otherwise.
* **You need Vincent to read the filings, not just list them.** Docket Insights opens individual documents and reasons across their contents — useful when the answer lives inside a brief rather than in a docket entry title.
* **Your question crosses entities.** *"Has this attorney argued before Judge X?"* connects an attorney and a judge, which no single classic workflow was built to do.
* **You do not know which workflow applies.** Vincent routes the question for you.

### Using Both in the Same Matter

The two are complementary in practice, and the strongest pattern uses each for what it does best:

1. **Explore conversationally first.** Use Docket Insights to understand the landscape, who the judge is, how similar motions have fared, which filings matter.
2. **Switch to a classic workflow for the deliverable.** Once you know what you need, run **Find Similar Matters** for the exportable comparison table, or **Find Litigation Precedents** for a memo you can share with the team.
3. **Return to the conversation to interrogate the results.** Bring a case the workflow surfaced back into Docket Insights and ask what the parties actually argued.

### Quick Decision Guide

If you are still unsure, ask these in order:

1. **Do you need a downloadable table or a shareable memo link?** If yes, use a classic workflow. If no, continue.
2. **Do you need the output in a consistent, repeatable format?** If yes, use a classic workflow. If no, continue.
3. **Will your next question depend on the answer to this one?** If yes, use Docket Insights. If no, continue.
4. **Does the question involve both court records and the applicable law?** If yes, use Docket Insights.

### Best Practices & Pro Tips

* **Match the tool to the deliverable, not to your seniority.** There is a temptation to treat the conversational route as the advanced option and the named workflows as the beginner one. In practice the choice is about output: a partner who needs a client-ready comparison table should run **Find Similar Matters**, and a first-year investigating an unfamiliar judge is better served by the conversation. Let the artifact you owe someone decide.
* **Do your judicial research conversationally, then commit it to a format.** Judge and opposing counsel work is inherently iterative, one ruling pattern raises the next question. Explore in Docket Insights until you have a clear picture, then capture the conclusions in **Legal Pad** or run the relevant classic workflow so the analysis exists in a form your file can hold.

### Related Articles

* [Integrating Your Firm's Data with Vincent](/vincent-by-vlex/vincent/core-workflows/integrating-your-firms-data-with-vincent.md)

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