Alternatives to Lexis Westlaw Prof Carolyn BroeringJacobs Legal

Alternatives to Lexis & Westlaw Prof. Carolyn Broering-Jacobs’ Legal Writing Class Feb. 2011

Low Cost Databases

Stripped down versions of Lexis/WL • Casemaker –Free w/ free student OSBA membership • Fastcase – Free w/ Cleve bar membership. • Lois Law – C-M has, CLL has • Versus Law – Free to Law students

Access to Low Cost Databases l Library Website, Electronic Resources Page. l Casemaker: ohiobar. org. Free with FREE student membership to the Ohio State Bar Association OR Librarians can sign you in l Fastcase – fastcase. com.

Stripped Down Versions of Lexis/WL What does Lexis/Westlaw have these do not? l Editorial features – headnotes, annotations l Practice Books (except Loislaw) l Law Review articles l Better search mechanisms and coverage

Stripped Down Versions of Lexis and Westlaw l l Casemaker – best coverage for Ohio. Odd search syntax Fastcase – Natural Language, Visual Charts Loislaw - Best terms and connectors, field searching. Treatises. Alert searches. Versus. Law – Cheapest, worst coverage

Contents Unanno Cases Unanno Statutes w/o Regs Headnotes “Shepard’s Other –Like Feature” Loislaw Yes – Yes Ohio unreported 1997 - Yes Treatises, Forms, Public Records (depends on plan) Case Yes maker Yes – Ohio unreported 1981 -, All Ohio Misc. Yes Some Jurisdictions - Jury Instruc. , Jury Verdicts, More Yes

Contents Unanno Statutes Cases w/o Headnotes Unanno “Shepard’s –Like Regs Feature” Fastcase Internet Fed App 1925 -, Mostly Yes links for 8 Ohio 1950 -, Internet states Ohio unreported Links 2000 -. Coverage Versuslaw See help, Content/ Features Fed if pay Ohio 1950 -. more, no Ohio unreported state 1995 -. Older Fed District More $ Fed if Yes pay more, no State

Searching Boolean Natural Language Fields Search databases together Yes - near 2 No Yes Casemaker Yes - w/n, No w/sent, w/para Yes Fed together, State together Loislaw

Searching Boolean Natural Fields Language Fastcase Yes - w/n Yes Versus Law Yes - w/n Yes 4 fields, default see help connector is ADJ Search databases together Date, cite Yes look-up only For addtl fee

• Issue= Whether in Ohio, two people can marry if they are the opposite sex because one person had gender reassignment surgery, and that person’s birth certificate was amended to reflect the sex change? • Search = “birth certificate” (transsexual, transgender, “sex change”) marri*

Casemaker Session l l l Part of Research Certificate Seminars Wednesday, 3/2, 3 pm-4 pm Register by emailing Laura Ray

Temporary Login l l username: CMLaw password: fastcase

• “birth certificate” AND (transgender OR transsexual OR “sex change”) AND marri* • Natural language – birth certificate marriage transsexual

Fastcase Webinar l l Thursday, 3/24, 4: 30 pm-5: 30 pm –– LB Room 208 or remotely via your own computer Contact Laura Ray to register

Primary & Secondary – Specific Subjects l l l BNA CCH RIA Checkpoint See Electronic Resources page for links. NOT low cost, but not charged back to clients

BNA l l Current Awareness PLUS Libraries: Primary & Secondary Sources

BNA Current Awareness l l Articles, cases May contain past 12 years ex. U. S. Law Week/Supreme Court Today ; Daily Labor Report (DLR expensive!). Sign up for BNA Current Awareness Services

BNA Libraries l l Cases, statutes, regs Practice books Forms ex. Labor and Employment Law Library , Intellectual Property Library or ABA/BNA lawyers' manual on professional conduct

CCH Intelliconnect • Both Primary and Secondary Sources • Topics Covered: Antitrust Banking Corporate Governance Health Care and Medicaid/Medicare Labor & Employment, Pensions Securities

CCH l l l Boolean searching, w/n etc. Federated Searching Indexes Current awareness emails – Sign up Instructions Known for their fifty state charts

Benefits of Low Cost Databases Over Free Internet l l l Better Search Mechanisms Coverage May be more current Trustworthiness Aggregated Info – One stop shopping

What’s on the Free Web l l All US Supreme Court Cases Reported Federal Appellate from 1882 Some Unreported Fed App, Fed District State cases: reported – 1950. unreported - early-mid nineties

What’s on the Free Web, cont’d l Statutes & Regulations- federal and states Municipal Ordinances Law Review Articles Forms Dockets, Briefs & Pleadings l LOTS more! l l

Start with a Good Internet Portal l l From the Library Home Page – Legal Research on the Web Cornell Legal Information Institute (LII) Find. Law ALSO (American Law Sources Online) Other Portals

Use LEGAL Search Engines l Cornell University Legal Research Engine Lexis. Web l List of Search Legal Engines l

Case law l l l Google Scholar – state reported 1950 -, fed circuit/ district 1923 Ohio Supreme Court Legal Research Workstation - Case Law

• Search = “birth certificate” marriage transsexual OR transgender OR “sex change”

• Why don’t we get the Nash case?

Google Advanced Operators l l l AROUND –ex. constitution AROUND(5) "home rule“ ~ searches for synonyms and related words ex. ~constitutionality - searches for constitutional, unconstitutional, etc. * placeholder for a word. Ex. sexual * abuse picks up “sexual misconduct abuse”, “sexual child abuse”, etc.

Web Sites to Know l l Thomas. gov – Federal Legislative History FDSys - Fed’l Govt. PACER – Federal Court dockets Martindale Hubbell Law Digest

Ehandout l https: //www. law. csuohio. edu/lawlibrary/ehan dout/alternatives 2011