Legal Connect

Connecting Clients and Lawyers with Advanced AI Features

Legal Connect is a comprehensive legal platform that bridges the gap between clients and lawyers, featuring AI-powered document analysis, real-time communication, case management, and integrated payment processing.
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Features · Architecture · API Docs

🔗 Quick Links

Full Application · Backend API Documentation · AI Backend Documentation

SonarCloud Analysis

📑 Table of Contents

• Key Features
• Architecture
• Technical Stack
• Getting Started
  • Prerequisites
  • Quick Setup
  • Individual Service Setup
• Database Design
• API Documentation
• Testing and Quality
• Project Structure
• Contributing
• Authors

Key Features

For Clients

• Lawyer Discovery: Advanced search and filtering system to find qualified lawyers
• Case Management: Create, track, and manage legal cases with document organization
• AI Legal Assistant: RAG-powered document analysis and legal question answering
• Real-time Communication: Instant messaging and video conferencing with lawyers
• Secure Payments: Integrated Stripe payment processing with escrow functionality
• Document Management: Upload, organize, and share legal documents securely

For Lawyers

• Professional Profiles: Comprehensive profile management with verification system
• Case Tracking: Manage client cases with document and note organization
• AI Document Analysis: Leverage AI for document review and legal research
• Client Communication: Real-time chat and video consultations
• Blog Publishing: Share legal insights and build thought leadership
• Availability Management: Set consultation slots and manage appointments

For Administrators

• Lawyer Verification: Review and approve lawyer registrations and credentials
• User Management: Monitor and manage user accounts and activities
• System Analytics: Track platform usage and performance metrics
• Content Moderation: Manage blogs and user-generated content

Architecture

Legal Connect follows a microservices architecture with three main components:

Service Overview

1. Backend (Spring Boot): Core business logic, user management, case management
2. Backend AI (FastAPI): RAG system for document analysis and AI chat
3. Frontend (Vue.js): User interface and client-side application

Integration Points

• Authentication: JWT-based authentication shared across services
• Real-time Communication: WebSocket integration for chat and notifications
• Document Processing: AI backend processes documents uploaded through main backend
• Video Conferencing: Jitsi Meet integration for lawyer-client consultations

Technical Stack

Backend Services

Component	Technology	Version	Purpose
Main Backend	Spring Boot	3.5.3	Core business logic, REST APIs
AI Backend	FastAPI	0.109.2	RAG system, document analysis
Frontend	Vue.js	3.5.13	User interface, SPA

Databases & Storage

Component	Technology	Version	Purpose
Primary DB	PostgreSQL	17.5	User data, cases, documents
Vector DB	Qdrant	Latest	Document embeddings, similarity search
Cache	Redis	7	Session management, caching
Search	Elasticsearch	9.1.1	Full-text search for blogs
File Storage	AWS S3 + Cloudinary	-	Document and media storage

External Integrations

• Payment Processing: Stripe
• Video Conferencing: Jitsi Meet (JAAS)
• Email Services: SMTP (Zoho)
• AI Services: Google Gemini, Google Embeddings
• Calendar Integration: Google Calendar API

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Docker & Docker Compose (Recommended)
• Java 21+ (for local backend development)
• Python 3.12+ (for local AI backend development)
• Node.js 20+ (for local frontend development)
• PostgreSQL 17+, Redis 7+, Elasticsearch 9.1+ (for local development)

Quick Setup

The fastest way to get Legal Connect running is using Docker Compose:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/java-jedis/legal-connect.git
cd legal-connect

# Create environment configuration file
cp .env.example .env

# Start all services with Docker Compose
docker-compose up -d

Important Configuration Steps:

Before starting the services, you must edit the .env file with your actual configuration values. Update the following required variables:

• POSTGRES_PASSWORD - Database password
• JWT_SECRET - Secret key for JWT token generation
• AWS_ACCESS_KEY, AWS_SECRET_KEY, AWS_S3_BUCKET - AWS S3 storage credentials
• GOOGLE_API_KEY - Google AI API key (for AI features)
• QDRANT_URL, QDRANT_API_KEY - Qdrant vector database credentials
• MAIL_USERNAME, MAIL_PASSWORD - Email service credentials
• STRIPE_SECRET_KEY - Stripe payment processing key
• JAAS_APP_ID, JAAS_API_KEY - Jitsi Meet video conferencing credentials

Setting up Jitsi JAAS Credentials:

1. Go to https://jaas.8x8.vc/#/ and create an account

2. Create a new application and get your App ID and API Key

3. Download the private key file and place it in the backend resources directory:

   cp /path/to/your/downloaded/key.pk backend/legalconnect/src/main/resources/jaas-key.pk

4. Update your .env file with the JAAS credentials:

   JAAS_APP_ID=vpaas-magic-cookie-your-app-id-here
   JAAS_API_KEY=vpaas-magic-cookie-your-app-id-here/your-kid-here

Access the applications:

• Frontend: http://localhost:5173
• Backend API: http://localhost:8080/v1
• AI Backend API: http://localhost:8000/api/v1
• Backend Swagger: http://localhost:8080/v1/swagger-ui/index.html
• AI Backend Docs: http://localhost:8000/docs

Individual Service Setup

For detailed setup instructions for each service, refer to their respective README files:

📋 Service Documentation

Service	Description	Setup Guide
Backend	Spring Boot API server with PostgreSQL, Redis, Elasticsearch	Backend Setup Guide
Backend AI	FastAPI RAG system with Qdrant vector database	AI Backend Setup Guide
Frontend	Vue.js SPA with real-time features	Frontend Setup Guide

🔧 Configuration Files

Each service includes example configuration files:

• Backend: backend/.env.example, backend/legalconnect/src/main/resources/application.example.yml
• Backend AI: backend-ai/env.example
• Frontend: frontend/.env.example

Database Design

The system uses multiple databases optimized for different use cases:

Backend Database Schema

AI Backend Database Schema

Database Architecture

• PostgreSQL: Primary relational database for user data, cases, documents, and business logic
• Qdrant: Vector database for storing document embeddings and similarity search
• Redis: In-memory cache for sessions, temporary data, and performance optimization
• Elasticsearch: Search engine for full-text search capabilities in blogs and documents

Key Entities

• Users & Lawyers: User management with role-based access control
• Cases & Documents: Case lifecycle management with document organization
• Chat & Messages: Real-time messaging system
• Blogs & Reviews: Content management and rating system
• Payments & Meetings: Financial transactions and appointment scheduling

API Documentation

Interactive Documentation

Each service provides comprehensive API documentation:

Service	Documentation	Endpoint
Backend	Swagger UI	http://localhost:8080/v1/swagger-ui/index.html
AI Backend	FastAPI Docs	http://localhost:8000/docs
Frontend	Component Docs	See Frontend README

API Sections

Main Backend APIs

• Authentication: User registration, login, email verification
• User Management: Profile management, lawyer verification
• Case Management: Case lifecycle, document handling
• Chat System: Real-time messaging, conversation management
• Blog System: Content creation, subscription management
• Payment Processing: Stripe integration, transaction management

AI Backend APIs

• Chat Endpoints: AI-powered legal assistance
• Document Processing: Upload and analysis of legal documents
• Search Endpoints: Semantic search across legal documents
• Session Management: Chat history and context management

Testing and Quality

Code Quality Monitoring

Legal Connect uses SonarCloud for continuous code quality monitoring:

• Quality Gate: Automated quality checks on every commit
• Code Coverage: Comprehensive test coverage tracking
• Security Analysis: Vulnerability detection and security hotspots
• Maintainability: Code smells and technical debt monitoring

View detailed analysis: SonarCloud Dashboard

Testing Strategy

• Backend: JUnit 5, Mockito, Integration tests
• AI Backend: pytest, FastAPI TestClient
• Frontend: Vue Test Utils, Jest (planned)
• E2E Testing: Cypress (planned)

Project Structure

legal-connect/
├── backend/                    # Spring Boot main backend
│   ├── legalconnect/          # Spring Boot application
│   ├── docker-compose.yml    # Backend services (PostgreSQL, Redis, Elasticsearch)
│   ├── Dockerfile            # Backend container configuration
│   └── README.md             # Backend setup guide
├── backend-ai/               # FastAPI AI backend
│   ├── app/                  # FastAPI application
│   ├── docker-compose.yml   # AI services (PostgreSQL, Redis)
│   ├── Dockerfile           # AI backend container configuration
│   └── README.md            # AI backend setup guide
├── frontend/                # Vue.js frontend
│   ├── src/                 # Vue.js application source
│   ├── Dockerfile          # Frontend container configuration
│   └── README.md           # Frontend setup guide
├── docs/                   # Documentation and assets
│   ├── logo.png           # Project logo
│   ├── architecture.png   # System architecture diagram
│   └── database_schema.png # Database schema diagram
├── docker-compose.yml     # Full system orchestration
└── README.md             # This file

Contributing

We welcome contributions to Legal Connect! Please follow these steps:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch: git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature
3. Commit your changes: git commit -m 'Add amazing feature'
4. Push to the branch: git push origin feature/amazing-feature
5. Open a Pull Request

Development Guidelines

• Follow the coding standards for each service (Java, Python, JavaScript)
• Write comprehensive tests for new features
• Update documentation for API changes
• Ensure all quality gates pass in SonarCloud

Authors

Java Jedis Team

Majedul Islam - Full Stack Developer | System Architect

• GitHub: @mr-majed7
• LinkedIn: Majedul Islam

Shakil Ahmed - Full Stack Developer | AI Integration Specialist

• GitHub: @ahmedmshakil
• LinkedIn: Shakil Ahmed

Contact

• GitHub: java-jedis
• Project Link: Legal Connect