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

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

3. 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

4. Figures are from a Local Law Firm, 2008

5. 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 14.00 (primary), $24.00 (secondary) Keycite$6.25

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

7. Cost-Saving Tips for Lexis/WL CALI Lesson – Cost of Legal ReseachCost of Legal Reseach Cost Effective Legal Research C|M|LAW Library GuideCost Effective Legal Research Lexis – Conducting Efficient Research tutorialConducting Efficient Research Westlaw - Cost Effective Research » PowerpointCost Effective Research »

8. 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

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

11. Will charge for another search

12. Use Locate instead

13. Does not charge for another search

15. Charges a “find”

17. Does not charge

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

19. But can’t do alert on a Focus search

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

22. Copy with Cite

24. Copy with reference

26. Keycite/Shepards Brief Check or LexisNexis for Microsoft Office to Shepardize; Westcheck to Keycite Brief CheckLexisNexis for Microsoft OfficeWestcheck

27. WestlawNext 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)

28. WestlawNext - Cost Recovery =charging back to client $60 per search 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)

32. Cost Effective WestlawNext Some SEARCHING hints are different than Classic Westlaw

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

34. Cost Effective WestlawNext Searching - Transactional 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)

35. Show Less or More Detail

36. More WestlawNext Searching hints Use Table of Contents instead of Book Browse Alerts Use Find

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

38. Low Cost Databases

39. Stripped down versions of Lexis/WL 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

40. Access to Low Cost Databases Library Website, Electronic Resources Page. Library Website Casemaker: ohiobar.org. Free with FREE student membership to the Ohio State Bar AssociationFREE student membership

41. 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

42. Stripped Down Versions of Lexis and Westlaw Casemaker – best coverage for Ohio. Odd search syntax Fastcase – Natural Language, Visual Charts Loislaw - Best terms and connectors, field searching. Treatises. Alert searches. VersusLaw – Cheapest, worst coverage

56. Fastcase Webinar Thursday, 3/24, 4:30pm-5:30pm –– LB Room 208 or remotely via your own computer Contact Laura Ray to register

57. Primary & Secondary – Specific Subjects BNA CCH See Law Databases page for links.Law Databases NOT low cost, but not charged back to clients Have primary and secondary sources, current awareness

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

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

61. CCH Boolean searching, w/n etc. Federated Searching Indexes Known for their fifty state charts

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

66. 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 – 1950. unreported - early-mid nineties

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

68. 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)

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

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

76. Why don’t we get the Nash case?

78. Google Advanced Operators 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.

82. Web Sites to Know Thomas.gov – Federal Legislative History Thomas FDSys - Fed’l Govt. FDSys PACER – Federal Court dockets PACER Martindale Hubbell Law Digest

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

85. Ehandout https://www.law.csuohio.edu/lawlibrary/ehan dout/alternatives2011 https://www.law.csuohio.edu/lawlibrary/ehan dout/alternatives2011