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

2. 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)

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. 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 *

5. Figures are from a Local Law Firm, 2008

6. 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

7. 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

10. 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

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

12. 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

13. 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?

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

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

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

17. 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

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

19. 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)

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

21. Low Cost Databases

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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

25. 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

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

27. Contents Unanno Statutes Cases w/o Headnotes Unanno Regs “Shepard’s –Like Feature” FastcaseInternet links for 8 states Fed App 1925-, Ohio 1950 -, Ohio unreported 2000-.CoverageCoverage 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

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

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

42. 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

44. 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

45. BNA Current Awareness PLUS Libraries: Primary & Secondary Sources

46. 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

47. 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

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

55. CCH Boolean searching, w/n etc. Federated Searching Indexes Current awareness emails – Sign up InstructionsSign up Instructions Known for their fifty state charts Smart charts – create your own chart

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

61. 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

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

63. 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

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

65. 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 Workstation - Case Law

68. 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

69. 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

70. Assignment Use ELECTRONIC SOURCES Do not use Lexis or Westlaw