Cost Effective Lexis Westlaw and Alternatives to Lexis

Cost Effective Lexis & Westlaw and Alternatives to Lexis & Westlaw Prof. Bouvier’s Legal Writing Class, Spring 2011

Topics Covered l l l The Cost of Lexis & Westlaw Frugal Lexis and Westlaw Use Westlaw. Next Cost Effective Use Low cost databases Free Internet Sources

Flat Rate Plans Still care about cost effectiveness because: l l l client charged Item maybe outside of plan Greater Usage = Greater Cost for Flat Rate Plan next year

Figures are from a Local Law Firm, 2008

2010 Westlaw Law Firm Costs File/Services Hourly (Per Minute) Transactional (Per Search) All Federal Cases $19. 05 Ohio State and $23. 08 Federal Cases Sixth Circuit Cases $8. 60 All Ohio Cases $8. 60 Get a Document/Find 14. 00 (primary), $24. 00 (secondary) Keycite $6. 25

Computing Westlaw Costs Hourly or Transactional Charge for Database use PLUS l Communication Charge (per minute) PLUS l Downloading or Printing Charge l (sample computation)

Cost-Saving Tips for Lexis/WL • CALI Lesson – Cost of Legal Reseach • Cost Effective Legal Research C|M|LAW Library Guide • Lexis – Conducting Efficient Research tutorial • Westlaw - Cost Effective Research » Powerpoint

BEFORE you search l Ask librarian/managing partner about price plan. l Use print or lower cost databases l Plan your search before you go online l Call the Reference Attorneys

Cost Effective Searching-Lexis & Classic WL l Narrowest Source l Broad Search, then Focus/Locate l Table of Contents l Book Browse on LEXIS (not Westlaw) l History (L) or Research Trail (W) – (next day) l Westlaw – search transactional or hourly?

Will charge for another search

Use Locate instead

Does not charge for another search

Does not charge for another search

Charges a “find”

Does not charge

Classic Searching, Cont’d l Alerts l Use Shepards or Keycite for Research instead of a search l Search by Topic/Headnote (L); Key. Number/ Keysearch (W) l Get a Document (L), Find (W) l 50 state surveys

But can’t do alert on a Focus search

Cost Effective Printing l Westlaw decide per line or per document l Print from browser l Copy with Reference l Get and Print, Find and Print

Copy with Cite

Copy with reference

Keycite/Shepards l Brief Check or Lexis. Nexis for Microsoft Office to Shepardize; Westcheck to Keycite

Westlaw. Next l l Flat rate plan When view a document, charged if that document is off-plan (will get warning). Save document in folder - access forever. Document updates for one year for free. History saved one year (but does charge again if after 2 am next day)

Westlaw. Next - Cost Recovery =charging back to client l $60 per search l PLUS a find charge for items clicked on (Transactional Mode) OR per minute charge (Hourly Mode) l Cost chart – Click on Tools tab, then Subscriber Pricing Guide (non-discounted rates)

Cost Effective Westlaw. Next l Some SEARCHING hints are different than Classic Westlaw

Cost Effective Westlaw. Next l Preferences link – pick Hourly or Transactional. Begins charging when click on Document. l Broad initial search Narrow using filters or search within results (as many as desired) l

Cost Effective Westlaw. Next Searching - Transactional l l Pull up (Click on) the least amount of documents needed Show the most detail Documents ranked by relevance Use Folders (forever, updated 1 yr and History (until 2 am following day)

Show Less or More Detail

More Westlaw. Next Searching hints l l l Use Table of Contents instead of Book Browse Alerts Use Find

Reference Attorney Phone Nos. l l l 800 45 LEXIS 1 -800 -REF-ATTY (733 -2889) (Westlaw) 1 -800 -850 -9378 for law students (Westlaw)

Low Cost Databases

Stripped down versions of Lexis/WL l l Casemaker –Free w/ free student OSBA membership Fastcase – Free w/ Cleve Metro 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

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

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 See Law Databases page for links. NOT low cost, but not charged back to clients Have primary and secondary sources, current awareness

BNA Libraries l ex. Labor Relations Reporter/Labor and Employment Law Library, Intellectual Property Library or ABA/BNA lawyers' manual on professional conduct

CCH Intelliconnect l Topics Covered: Antitrust Banking Corporate Governance Health Care and Medicaid/Medicare Labor & Employment, Pensions Securities

CCH l l Boolean searching, w/n etc. Federated Searching Indexes 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 From the Library Home Page – Legal Research on the Web Public Records & People Finders Cornell Legal Information Institute (LII)

Case law l l Google Scholar – state reported 1950 -, fed circuit/ district 1923 Ohio Supreme Court Lexis. One – Last 10 yrs, Lexis searching Legal Research on the Web - Cases

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

l 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

Finding Dockets, Pleadings, Motions l l l LLRX or Resources for Online Court Dockets to find dockets Some dockets have full text documents ex. Ohio – Montgomery & Summit Counties, federal PACER – Federal Court dockets

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