Alternatives to Lexis & Westlaw

Sue Altmeyerc 2010

Topics Covered

Lexis/WL Costs - brieflyStripped Down Versions of Lexis/WLTopic Specific Databases – BNA, CCHFree Internet SourcesLibrary Sources

• Data 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 Federal Cases

$23.08

Sixth Circuit Cases

$8.60

All Ohio Cases $8.60

Get a Document/Find

14.00 (primary), $24.00 (secondary)

Keycite $6.25

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 - Instructions for password

Versus Law – Free to Law students

Stripped Down Versions of Lexis/WL

Links to these four databases on the library’s Electronic Resources page

Have primary sources – cases, statutes, regulations for states and federal

Stripped Down Versions of Lexis/WL

What does Lexis/Westlaw have these do not?

Editorial features – headnotes, annotations

Practice Books (except Loislaw)Law Review articlesBetter search mechanisms and coverage

ContentsUnannoStatutes

Casesw/oHeadnotes

Unanno

Regs

“Shepard’s –Like

Feature”

Other

Loislaw Yes Yes –

Ohio unreported

1997-

Yes Yes Treatises, Forms, Public Records

(depends on plan)

Casemaker

Yes Yes –

Ohio unreported 1981-

Yes Yes Some Jurisdictions - Jury Instruc., Jury Verdicts,

More

Contents

UnannoStatutes

Casesw/oHeadnotes

Unanno

Regs

“Shepard’s –Like

Feature”

Fastcase Internet links for 8 states

Fed App 1924-, Ohio 1950 -, Ohio unreported 2000-.Coverage

Mostly Internet

Links

Yes

Versuslaw

See help, Content/Features

Fed if pay more, no state

Ohio 1950 -. Ohio unreported 1995 -.

Older Fed District More $

Fed if pay more, no State

Yes

Comparison of Fedl Ct CoverageSupreme Circuit District

Loislaw 1754- 1929-Unreported 2007-

Selected

1921-

Case

maker

1754- 1879- 1932-

Fastcase 1754- 1924- 1912-

VersusLaw 1886- Varies, 1930-,1981-

Varies, pay more. About 1940-

Research Question

Bob works as a baggage handler for Midwest Airlines. He missed a lot of work, due to his alcoholism. Midwest fired him for violation of the attendance policy. Does Bob have a claim against his employer based on the Americans with Disabilities Act?

Casemaker Search Syntax

Search on Casemaker=alcohol* ada (absenteeism,attendance)

Could also do:alcohol* (ada or “americans with

disabilities act) (absenteeism,attendance)

Loislaw

Searching

Boolean Natural Language

Fields Search databases together

Loislaw Yes - near2 No Yes Yes

Casemaker Yes - w/n, w/sent, w/para

No Yes Fed together, State CASES together

Special Feature of Loislaw

“ MY SAVED SEARCHES”!

Searching

Boolean Natural Language

Fields Search databases together

Fastcase Yes - w/n Yes Date, cite look-up only

Yes

Versus Law

Yes - w/n Yes default connector is ADJ

4 fields, see help

For addtl fee

Practice Area Specific Databases

Primary & Secondary – Specific Subjects

BNACCHRIA Checkpoint See Electronic Resources page for links.

NOT low cost, but not charged back to clients

BNA

Current Awareness PLUS Libraries: Primary & Secondary Sources

BNA Current Awareness

Articles, casesMay 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

Cases, statutes, regsPractice 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 SourcesTopics Covered:

AntitrustBanking Corporate GovernanceHealth Care and Medicaid/Medicare Labor & Employment, PensionsSecurities

CCH

Boolean searching, w/n etc.Federated SearchingIndexesCurrent awareness emails –

Sign up Instructions Known for their fifty state charts

Free Internet

Benefits of Low Cost Databases Over Free Internet

Better Search MechanismsCoverageMay be more currentTrustworthiness Aggregated Info – One stop shopping

What’s on the Free Web

All US Supreme Court CasesReported Federal Appellate from 1882Some Unreported Fed App, Fed District State cases: reported – 1950-

unreported: early-mid nineties

What’s on the Free Web, contd

Statutes & Regulations- federal and states

Municipal OrdinancesLaw Review ArticlesFormsDockets, Briefs & Pleadings

LOTS more!

Start with a Good Internet Portal

• From the Library Home Page – Legal Research on the Web

• Public Records & People Finders

• Cornell Legal Information Institute (LII)

• FindLaw

• Other Portals

American Law Sources Online

Use LEGAL Search Engines

Cornell University Legal Research Engine

LexisWeb FindLaw LawCrawler Justia List of Search Legal Engines

• Try with ADA example

Case law

• Legal Research Workstation - Case Law

• Google Scholar – state reported 1950-, fed circuit/ district 1923-

• Ohio Supreme Court

• LexisOne – Last 10 yrs, Lexis searching

• Public Library of Law - boolean

• Open Jurist – fed reported appellate 1882-

• Demo Ohio Supreme Court case search

Evaluating Web Sites

Credibility: author; possible bias, accuracy. 

Currency / Updating, CoverageWriting Quality Ease of use – Design, navigation,

searchability, help Stability

Sites with More Credibility

Government SitesSite from a Legal Publisher, ex. Findlaw,

LexisOneBar Association

Gov’t Sites for Research Question

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission – EEOC

A-Z Index of U.S. Government Depts. & Agencies

E-CFR – current to last Federal Register, one day or so

Web Sites to Know

• C-M Guide Forms & Practice Materials

• Thomas.gov – Federal Legislative History

• PACER – Federal Court dockets

• LLRX to find state court dockets

• GPO Access – Fed’l Govt. will be FDSys

• Martindale Hubbell Law Digest

• Ohio Supreme Court

Library Resources

C-M - Lexis AcademicCleveland Public - Ohio Westlaw Pro se Lexis - Justice CenterCounty Law Libraries – may charge fee

to use computer. Lexis, Westlaw or both

Conclusion

Start with one of these to save money: Low cost alternatives to Lexis and WL BNA, CCHFree Web, but be aware of limitationsPrint materials at your employers’Books and databases at the library

E-Handout

http://www.law.csuohio.edu/lawlibrary/resources/lawpubs/alternativeslexiswl.html