Cost Effective Lexis & Westlaw and Alternatives to Lexis & Westlaw Sue Altmeyer c 2009

Topics Covered The Cost of Lexis and Westlaw Frugal Lexis and Westlaw Use Low cost databases Free Internet Sources Library Sources (briefly)

Flat Rate Plans Even if flat rate plan, client charged or maybe outside of plan Greater Usage = Greater Cost for Flat Rate Plan next year

How to tell when out of plan Lexis- items outside of plan not accessible. Another account to access off plan. Or, may have dollar signs. Westlaw-Message saying outside of plan

Computing Westlaw Costs Florida Briefs Multibase Click for rate Select rate = $11.03/min (see Florida Govt 2008 Subscriber Agreement) Click Subscriber for per search cost Add communication charges - .22/min Add print/download costs – .04 per line or $20 per document

Cost-Saving Tips for Lexis/WL See Efficient /Cost Effective Legal Research C-M Guide Cost Effective Westlaw – powerpoint Lexis 20 Minute Webinar

Ask librarian/managing partner about price plan. Use print or lower cost databases Plan your search before you go online Call the Reference Attorneys Narrowest Source Broad Search, Focus/Locate Table of Contents Book Browse on LEXIS (not Westlaw) History (L) or Research Trail (W)

(Search by Topic/Headnote (L); KeyNumber/ Keysearch W) Alerts (Search by Topic/Headnote (L); KeyNumber/ Keysearch W) Get a Document (L), Find (W) 50 state surveys Westlaw, printing (per line/per document) & searching (transactional/hourly) Print from browser/Copy with Reference Get and Print, Find and Print Briefcheck to Shepardize; Westcheck to Keycite (but remember time can equal money)

Reference Attorney Phone Nos. 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 has, CLL has Versus Law – Free to Law students

Articles re. Low Cost Database Four Legal Research Companies Offer Mid-priced Options, Wisconsin Law Journal, Sept. 4, 2008 A Guide to Fee-Based U. S. Legal Research Databases – Globalex, Dec 2006 2006 comparison – Univ. Wash. Law Library Robert Ambrogi – Casemaker vs. Fastcase 2009 (wrong about statutes in Fastcase. Not everyone agrees w/conclusion)

Access to Low Cost Databases Go to Library Website, Electronic Resources Page. Casemaker: Free with FREE student membership to the Ohio State Bar Association OR Librarians can sign you in

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

Contents Unanno Statutes Cases w/o Headnotes Unanno Regs “Shepard’s –Like Feature” Fastcase Internet links for 8 states Fed App 1925-, 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

Searching Boolean Natural Language Fields Search databases together Loislaw Yes - near2 No Yes Casemaker Yes - w/n, w/sent, w/para 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 Versus Law Yes default connector is ADJ 4 fields, see help For addtl fee

Casemaker Webinar Nov 18, 12-1 pm Casemaker Webinar information

Primary & Secondary – Specific Subjects BNA – See Electronic Resources page for links. CCH - See Electronic Resources page for links. RIA Checkpoint

BNA Current awareness, 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 Libraries, ex. Labor and Employment Law Library , IP 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 Boolean searching, w/n etc. Federated Searching Indexes Current awareness emails – Sign up Instructions Works better in IE browser Known for their fifty state charts

What’s on the Free Web All US Supreme Court Cases Reported Federal Appellate from 1882 Some Unreported Fed App, Fed District State cases: early-mid nineties Statutes & Regulations- federal and states Municipal Ordinances 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

Use LEGAL Search Engines Cornell University Legal Research Engine LexisWeb FindLaw LawCrawler Justia List of Search Legal Engines

Web Sites to Know C-M Guide Forms & Practice Materials Thomas.gov – Federal Legislative History LexisONE – past 10 yrs caselaw, Lexis search capability GPO Access – Fed’l Govt. will be FDSys Martindale Hubbell Law Digest Ohio Supreme Court

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