1. CHAPTER 8
Online Legal Research

2. Introduction
Computers and online databases have improved the ability of paralegals to do high-quality legal research
New case decisions and changes in statutory law are entered almost immediately into certain online legal databases
If you master the basic principles of online research, you will be able to conduct research on the Internet no matter how much its content changes

3. Free Legal Resources on the Internet
Internet Tools
Navigating the Internet
Similar to an enormous library
No centralized, comprehensive card catalog
Browsers, guides, directories, and search engines
Browsers
Programs that access the web
Enable computers to roam the content of the web

4. Free Legal Resources on the Internet
Search Engines
Scan the web for words and phrases
Search operators
These can greatly refine results
Quotation marks are one of the most useful operators
Advanced search
Makes it easier to run searches that contain all the words in your search or that eliminate certain words from your search
Internet: The Most Used Research Tool
Learning Objective: Strategies for planning and conducting research on the Internet.

5. Free Legal Resources on the Internet
General Legal Resources
lp.findlaw.com
dockets.justia.com
Learning Objective: How to find some of the best legal resources available on the Internet.

6. Free Legal Resources on the Internet
Specific Legal Resources
Secondary sources of law
Court opinions
Other resources
Federal Law Starting Points
Federal legislative home pages
Business information

7. Tips for Doing Online Legal Research by Matt Cornick
Think before you begin the research.
There is no need to reinvent the wheel.
Both Westlaw and Lexis offer online training lessons.
There is more to online legal research than Westlaw, Lexis, and other similar services.
When using online legal research services, time may literally be money.

8. Tips for Doing Online Legal Research by Matt Cornick
Keep your skills current.
Keep track of your research.
Perhaps the most valuable online legal research skill you can develop is the ability to cite check primary authorities.
Know when to walk away.
Don’t worry.

9. Lexis and Westlaw Dominant Fee-Based Providers
Services Are Comprehensive
User Friendly
Expensive
Different Law Firms Pay Different Rates
Include Searchable Versions of Federal and State Cases, Statutes, and Regulations
Learning Objective: The advantages of the major fee-based online programs.

10. Lexis and Westlaw Accessing Westlaw or Lexis www.westlaw.com
You must subscribe
Password required

11. Lexis and Westlaw Conducting a Search Court case or statute
Quickly call up the document
Legal topic
By case or party name
By publication
Word searches
Second platform for searching: WestlawNext

12. Lexis and Westlaw

13. Lexis and Westlaw Checking Citations Citator KeyCite Shepard’s
References that have cited or interpreted a case
A history of the case
Determine the validity of a case
Locate additional sources
KeyCite
Shepard’s

14. Lexis and Westlaw Shepard’s Citations
Information provided by Shepard’s and KeyCite
Parallel citations
Other cases
References to periodicals, treatises, A.L.R. annotations
Case history
Use of symbols
Elaborate abbreviated system
Color-coded symbols

15. Lexis and Westlaw Selecting a Database Searching for Databases
Search for a database: enter database identifier
Directory: unknown abbreviation for database
Searching for Databases
Find a database wizard
WestlawNext
Not necessary to choose a database

16. Lexis and Westlaw Searching a Database Searching within Results
The terms and connectors method
The natural language method
Searching within Results
Locate in results: scan documents in search results
Focus: same feature in Lexis
Search within results: same feature in WestlawNext
Remember that service online is costly
Print or download

17. Lexis and Westlaw Is Lexis or Westlaw Better? Different formats
Different specialty publications offered
Stanford University survey
245 picked Westlaw
89 picked Lexis
Legal researchers can switch between systems and use KeyCite or Shepard’s to accomplish same tasks

18. Alternative Legal Research Sources
PACER
Public Access to Court Electronic Records
Court cases and docket information
Run by the federal judiciary
View the documents filed in federal litigation
View a complaint
Read a judge's ruling

19. Alternative Legal Research Sources
Fastcase
Access to all Supreme Court decisions
Federal appeals decisions back to 1924
Federal district court decisions back to 1932
Authority check
Can link with Shepard’s or KeyCite
Lower fees than Lexis and Westlaw
Becoming more widely used

20. Alternative Legal Research Sources
Loislaw
Wolters Kluwer
Publisher of CCH
Owns Aspen Publishers
Large federal and state case, statutory, and regulatory databases

21. Alternative Legal Research Sources
Loislaw (continued)
Access to specialized databases of secondary sources
Key words in context
GlobalCite
LawWatch

22. Alternative Legal Research Sources
Casemaker
Part of state bar membership
Federal and state case reports, statutes, regulations
Some state-specific documents
Undergoing expansion

23. Alternative Legal Research Sources
VersusLaw
Low-cost service
Highest level plan
U.S. Code and the Code of Federal Regulations
Limited access to publications not in public domain

24. Alternative Legal Research Sources
Google Scholar
scholar.google.com
Free service
Basic key word searches on state and federal case law
Limited number of reviews and journals
Advanced scholar search allows full range of features

25. Conducting Online Research
Plan Ahead—Analyze the Facts and Identify the Issues
Plan your research steps before going online
Know what you are seeking
Avoid wasting time and money
Outline your objectives clearly
Understand your goals
Know the reason for research or how results will be used

26. Conducting Online Research
Online Research Strategies
Starting points
Directory or guide
Search engine
Discovering available resources
Check the law libraries
Blogs
Browsing the links
Narrowing your focus

27. Conducting Online Research
Evaluating What You Find
Consider reliability and credibility
Primary, secondary, or tertiary source
Reputable source
Evaluate websites

28. Conducting Online Research
Updating Your Results
Stay current with events in the law
Go online
News sites
Corporate press releases
ed newsletters and bulletins

29. Conducting Online Research
Locating People and Investigating Companies
Finding people
Broad searches
Narrow searches
Specialty search tools
Fee-based searches
Learning Objective: How you can find people and investigate companies using Internet search tools.

30. Conducting Online Research
Locating People and Investigating Companies (continued)
Investigating companies
Finding company names and addresses
Uncovering detailed information about companies
Additional sources
Associations and organizations
Learning Objective: How you can find people and investigate companies using Internet search tools.

31. Summary
Today’s legal professionals can access a vast amount of information using the Internet
A great deal of legal information, especially public documents such as statutes and cases, is accessible through free Internet sites
For serious legal research, legal professionals often use online commercial legal research services, particularly Lexis and Westlaw

32. Summary
Less expensive and less comprehensive research alternatives have become more popular
Alternative programs may be adequate for some projects and may also be used for preliminary research
Paralegals must become proficient in conducting extensive research as efficiently as possible