Cost Effective Lexis & Westlawand

Alternatives to Lexis & Westlaw

Research Certificate Seminar 2011

Topics Covered

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

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

Figures are from a Local Law Firm, 2008

2010 Westlaw Law Firm Costs

File/Services Hourly(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

Computing Westlaw Costs

Hourly or Transactional Charge for Database use

PLUS Communication Charge (per minute)

PLUS Downloading or Printing Charge

(sample computation)

Cost-Saving Tips for Lexis/WL

CALI Lesson – Cost of Legal Reseach Efficient /Cost Effective Legal Research C-M

Guide Lexis – Conducting Efficient Research Westlaw - Cost Effective Research »

Powerpoint

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-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?

Classic 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 or LexisNexis for Microsoft Office to Shepardize; Westcheck to Keycite

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)

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)

Cost Effective WestlawNext

Only SEARCHING hints are different than the above

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)

Cost Effective WestlawNext Searching - Transactional

Pull up (Click on) the least amount of documents needed

Show the most detail Use Folders (forever, updated 1 yr and

History (until 2 am following day)

Show Less or More Detail

Reference Attorney Phone Nos.

800 45 LEXIS 1-800-REF-ATTY (733-2889) (Westlaw) 1-800-850-9378 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 (not student)

• Lois Law – C-M has, CLL has

• Versus Law – Free to Law students

Access to Low Cost Databases

Go to Library Website, Law Databases Page.

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, Odd search syntax

Fastcase – Natural Language, Visual Charts Loislaw - Best terms and connectors, field

searching. Treatises. Alert searches. VersusLaw – Cheapest, worst coverage

Fastcase Webinar

• Thursday, 3/24, 4:30pm-5:30pm –– LB Room 208 or remotely via your own computer

• Contact Laura Ray to register

Primary & Secondary – Specific Subjects

BNA CCH See Law Databases page for links.

NOT low cost, but not charged back to clients

Have primary and secondary sources, current awareness

BNA Libraries

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

CCH Intelliconnect

• Topics Covered:AntitrustBanking Corporate GovernanceHealth Care and Medicaid/Medicare Labor & Employment, PensionsSecurities

CCH

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

Benefits of Low Cost Databases Over Free Internet

Better Search Mechanisms CoverageMay 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 – 1950. 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 Web

Public Records & People Finders Cornell Legal Information Institute (LII)

Case law

Google Scholar – state reported 1950-, fed circuit/ district 1923-

Ohio Supreme Court LexisOne – Last 10 yrs, Lexis searching Legal Research on the Web - Cases

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.

Web Sites to Know

Thomas.gov – Federal Legislative History FDSys - Fed’l Govt. PACER – Federal Court dockets

Ehandout

https://www.law.csuohio.edu/lawlibrary/ehandout/alternatives2011