This paper describes the characteristics of a computerized information retrieval system which could be used by attorneys engaged in such complex litigation as (1) cases which involve multi-district litigation; (2) cases involving complex issues of fact, as in regulatory agency actions; (3) cases involving a large number of documents; and (4) cases with a short preparation time. The system described is application- and document-oriented, stores both descriptive bibliographic data and full text information, and has a database capacity in excess of 100,000 document citations and an operational period of one to five years. The seven basic tasks involved in the creation and operation of the typical litigation management support system are detailed: system design, document control, document analysis, vocabulary control, data entry, database load, and search and retrieval processes. (FM)