1. A method in a computer system for generating a legal search query, the method comprising: receiving a first string of characters inputted into a text input field of a graphical user interface, the first string of characters representing a first portion of the legal search query; conducting a first auto-complete session comprising: obtaining one or more first query suggestions from a server computing device; displaying the one or more first query suggestions within the graphical user interface, the one or more first query suggestions based at least in part on the first string of characters; receiving a selected first query suggestion; and displaying the selected first query suggestion in a first query segment within the text input field; receiving a second string of characters inputted into the text input field of the graphical user interface, the second string of characters representing a second portion of the legal search query that is distinct and independent from the first query segment within the text input field; conducting a second auto-complete session that is distinct from the first auto-complete session, the second auto-complete session comprising: obtaining one or more second query suggestions from the server computing device; displaying the one or more second query suggestions within the graphical user interface, the one or more second query suggestions based at least in part on the second string of characters; receiving a selected second query suggestion; and displaying the selected second query suggestion in a second query segment that is distinct from the first query segment within the text input field, detecting a position of a text cursor within the first query segment or the second query segment; displaying one or more additional first query suggestions based at least in part on the position of the text cursor within the first query segment, and displaying one or more additional second query suggestions based at least in part on the position of the text cursor within the second query segment; receiving an operator in the text input field of the graphical user interface, wherein the operator is added to the first query segment or the second query segment; splitting the first query segment or the second query segment into two or more split query segments based on a location of the operator within the text input field, wherein the splitting results in an additional autocomplete session for each of the two or more split query segments; obtaining one or more semantic suggestions from a semantic suggestion server that is separate from the server computing device, wherein the one or more semantic suggestions are semantically similar to the first query segment, the second query segment, or the two or more split query segments; displaying the one or more semantic suggestions for at least one of the first query segment, the second query segment, and the two or more split query segments, wherein the legal search query comprises the first query segment and the second query segment; and searching a legal document database using the legal search query to return and display a set of retrieved legal documents.