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

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

3. 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

4. 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

6. 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

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

10. 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)

11. (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)

12. Reference Attorney Phone Nos.
LEXIS
1-800-REF-ATTY ( ) (Westlaw)
for law students (Westlaw)

13. Low Cost Databases

14. 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

15. 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)

16. 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

17. 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

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

30. 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

31. Special Feature of Loislaw
“ MY SAVED SEARCHES”!

32. 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

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

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

36. 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

42. CCH Intelliconnect Both Primary and Secondary Sources
Topics Covered: Antitrust Banking Corporate Governance Health Care and Medicaid/Medicare Labor & Employment, Pensions Securities

43. CCH Boolean searching, w/n etc. Federated Searching Indexes
Current awareness s – Sign up Instructions
Works better in IE browser
Known for their fifty state charts

46. 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!

47. 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

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

49. 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

50. 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