Cost Effective Lexis & Westlaw and Alternatives to Lexis & Westlaw Sue Altmeyer c 2010

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

Flat Rate Plans Still care about cost effectiveness because: client charged Item 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. 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/ServicesHourly (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 (primary), $24.00 (secondary) Keycite$6.25

Computing Westlaw Costs Florida Briefs Multibase Click for rateFlorida Briefs Multibase Select rate = $26.42/min (see Westlaw 2010 Subscriber Agreement )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

Cost-Saving Tips for Lexis/WL See Efficient /Cost Effective Legal Research C-M GuideEfficient /Cost Effective Legal Research Lexis – Conducting Efficient Research tutorialConducting Efficient Research Westlaw - Cost Effective Research » PowerpointCost Effective Research » CALI Lesson – Cost of Legal ReseachCost of Legal Reseach

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

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

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

Searching, Cont’d Alerts Search by Topic/Headnote (L); KeyNumber/ Keysearch (W) Get a Document (L), Find (W) 50 state surveys

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

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

WestlawNext 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. Document updates for one year for free. History saved one year

WestlawNext - Cost Recovery =charging back to client $60 per search plus a find charge for items clicked on

Cost Strategies for WestlawNext Broad initial search Pull up the least amount of documents needed Narrow using filters or search within results (as many as desired)

Reference Attorney Phone Nos LEXIS REF-ATTY ( ) (Westlaw) 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

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

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

Stripped Down Versions of Lexis and Westlaw 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. VersusLaw – Cheapest, worst coverage

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

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

Searching BooleanNatural Language FieldsSearch databases together LoislawYes - near2NoYes CasemakerYes - w/n, w/sent, w/para NoYesFed together, State together

Special Feature of Loislaw “ MY SAVED SEARCHES”!

Searching BooleanNatural Language FieldsSearch databases together FastcaseYes - w/nYesDate, cite look-up only Yes Versus Law Yes - w/nYes default connector is ADJ 4 fields, see help For addtl fee

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

BNA Current Awareness PLUS Libraries: Primary & Secondary Sources

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

BNA Libraries Cases, statutes, regs Practice books Forms ex. Labor and Employment Law Library, Intellectual Property Library or ABA/BNA lawyers' manual on professional conductLabor and Employment Law Library Intellectual Property LibraryABA/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 s – Sign up InstructionsSign up Instructions Known for their fifty state charts Smart charts – create your own chart

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

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

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

Start with a Good Internet Portal From the Library Home Page – Legal Research on the WebLibrary Home PageLegal 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

Case law Google Scholar – state reported 1950-, fed circuit/ district Google Scholar Ohio Supreme Court LexisOne – Last 10 yrs, Lexis searching LexisOne Legal Research Workstation - Case Law

Web Sites to Know C-M Guide Forms & Practice MaterialsForms & Practice Materials Thomas.gov – Federal Legislative History Thomas FDSys - Fed’l Govt. (replaces GPO Access) FDSysGPO Access PACER – Federal Court dockets PACER Martindale Hubbell Law Digest

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

Assignment Use ELECTRONIC SOURCES Do not use Lexis or Westlaw