`legal_search`¶

Hybrid search across all sources — German federal law, EU law and federal court decisions.

When to use¶

Topical research ("Which provisions cover non-pecuniary damages for personality-rights violations?")
When the exact citation is unknown
As a first step before legal_lookup, to find the right norm

If you already have a citation (e.g. "§ 823 BGB"), call legal_lookup directly — faster, more precise, cheaper.

Parameters¶

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`query`	string	—	Natural-language query
`top_k`	int	5	Number of hits
`source_type`	enum	—	`gii`, `eurlex`, `eurlex_caselaw`, `rechtsprechung`
`law_abbreviation`	string	—	Law abbreviation (e.g. `bgb`, `dsgvo`)
`chapter`	string	—	Chapter/section within a law (rarely needed — can reduce recall)
`court`	enum	—	`BGH`, `BVerfG`, `BVerwG`, `BFH`, `BAG`, `BSG`, `BPatG`
`decision_type`	enum	—	`Urteil` or `Beschluss`
`date_from`	ISO date	—	Lower bound (`YYYY-MM-DD`)
`date_to`	ISO date	—	Upper bound

All filters are AND-combined.

Examples¶

Topical, across all sources¶

{
  "tool": "legal_search",
  "arguments": {
    "query": "non-pecuniary damages personality rights",
    "top_k": 5
  }
}

Likely returns §§ 823, 253 BGB plus relevant BGH decisions — mixed pool, ranked by relevance, not source type.

{
  "tool": "legal_search",
  "arguments": {
    "query": "transfers of personal data to third countries",
    "source_type": "eurlex",
    "top_k": 10
  }
}

BGH judgments on § 280 BGB since 2022¶

{
  "tool": "legal_search",
  "arguments": {
    "query": "damages breach of duty 280 BGB",
    "source_type": "rechtsprechung",
    "court": "BGH",
    "decision_type": "Urteil",
    "date_from": "2022-01-01",
    "top_k": 10
  }
}

Response¶

{
  "count": 5,
  "total": 142,
  "has_more": true,
  "hint": "Increase top_k or apply filters to narrow results.",
  "hits": [
    {
      "norm_id": 123456,
      "citation": "§ 823 BGB",
      "title": "Schadensersatzpflicht",
      "snippet": "Wer vorsätzlich oder fahrlässig …",
      "law": {
        "abbreviation": "BGB",
        "title": "Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch"
      },
      "hierarchy": "Book 2 — Law of Obligations · Section 8 · Title 27 — Torts"
    }
  ]
}

norm_id is stable and can be passed straight to legal_get_context. legal_lookup and legal_find_citing_decisions take the citation string from citation instead.

Tips¶

Natural sentences beat keyword lists. Write sentences, not keyword strings. "What duties does a seller have for defective goods?" works better than "seller defect liability".

Use colloquial synonyms freely. Lawbster handles typical confusions (Cookie → consent storage information terminal device, notice → termination of employment).

Filter first. If you only need EU law, set source_type=eurlex — cleaner hits, faster response.

legal_search¶