Cost Effective Lexis Westlaw and Alternatives to Lexis

Cost Effective Lexis & Westlaw and Alternatives to Lexis & Westlaw Sue Altmeyer c 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 Library Sources (briefly)

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

How to tell when out of plan l Lexis- items outside of plan not accessible. Another account to access off plan. Or, may have dollar signs. l Westlaw- Message saying outside of plan. Or, Directory – click My Databases. Or set preferences to indicate off plan with *

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 • Florida Briefs Multibase Click for rate • Select rate = $26. 42/min (see Westlaw 2010 Subscriber Agreement ) • Click Subscriber for per search cost • Add communication charges -. 22/min • Add print/download costs –. 05 per line or $27. 50 per document

? l Do you remember any of the tips for cost effective research on Lexis and Westlaw from your before-class assignments?

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 l Narrowest Source l I to check database contents l Broad Search, then Focus/Locate l Table of Contents l Book Browse on LEXIS (not Westlaw) l History (L) or Research Trail (W) – 24 hrs l Westlaw – search transactional or hourly?

Searching, Cont’d l Alerts l Search by Topic/Headnote (L); Key. Number/ Keysearch (W) l Get a Document BY CITATION (L), Find (W) l Links Embedded in Documents l Shepard’s/Keycite instead of search l 50 state surveys

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

Keycite/Shepards l Brief Check to Shepardize; Westcheck to Keycite

Westlaw. Next l l Flat rate plan When view a document, charged a Find if that document is off-plan (will get warning) Save document in folder - access forever, costs after 1 yr. Document updates for one year for free. History saved one year, but charges next day after 2 a. m.

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

Cost Effective Westlaw. Next l l l Some SEARCHING hints are different than Classic Westlaw PRINTING hints the same Keycite hints same, with some additional. .

Some additional Keycite hints l Case itself lists the most negative case l Whether billed for keycite in addition to find depends on your plan l Limit Citing References, use headnotes, depth of treatment l keycite or kc: If need keycite, not text of case

Select a type of document to get filters, eg. cases

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 & share (Free 1 yr and History (until 2 am following day)

Show Less or More Detail

More Westlaw. Next Searching hints l l Use Table of Contents instead of Book Browse Alerts Use Find Use Keycite for research instead of a search

Lexis Advance l l For Solos - $175/month, $315 for two lawyer firm A bargain – typically $3000 or more/

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 • Casemaker –Free w/ free student OSBA membership • Fastcase – Free w/ Cleve bar membership • Lois Law – C-M no longer has, CLL has • Versus Law – Free to Law students

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, except Ohio Misc. (1999 -) 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 – Yes Ohio unreported 1981 - Yes Some Jurisdictions - Jury Instruc. , Jury Verdicts, More

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

Primary & Secondary – Specific Subjects l l l BNA CCH Intelliconnect RIA Checkpoint See Electronic Resources page for links. NOT low cost, but not charged back to clients Have primary and secondary sources, current awareness

BNA Current Awareness l l l Articles, cases May contain past 12 years ex. U. S. Law Week/Supreme Court Today

BNA Libraries l l l Cases, statutes, regs Practice books ex. ABA/BNA Lawyers' Manual on Professional Conduct, Labor and Employment Law Library , Tax and Accounting Resource Center - more

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 Smart charts – create your own chart

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 Public Records & People Finders Cornell Legal Information Institute (LII) Find. Law Other Portals

Use LEGAL Search Engines l l Cornell University Legal Research Engine Lexis. Web Find. Law. Crawler Justia

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

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 l Thomas. gov – Federal Legislative History FDSys - Fed’l Govt. PACER – Federal Court dockets Some dockets have full text documents ex. Ohio – Montgomery & Summit Counties, federal Martindale Hubbell Law Digest

Library Resources l l C|M|LAW - Lexis Academic Cleveland Public - Ohio Westlaw Pro se Lexis - Justice Center County Law Libraries – may charge fee to use computer. Lexis, Westlaw or both

Assignment l l Use ELECTRONIC SOURCES Do not use Lexis or Westlaw