Alternatives to Lexis & Westlaw

Prof. Carolyn Broering-Jacobs’ Legal Writing Class

Feb. 2011

Low Cost Databases

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

Access to Low Cost Databases

Library Website, Electronic Resources Page.

Casemaker: ohiobar.org. Free with FREE student membership to the Ohio State Bar Association OR Librarians can sign you in

Fastcase – fastcase.com.

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

ContentsUnannoStatutes

Casesw/oHeadnotes

Unanno

Regs

“Shepard’s –Like

Feature”

Other

Loislaw Yes Yes –

Ohio unreported

1997-

Yes Yes Treatises, Forms, Public Records

(depends on plan)

Casemaker

Yes Yes –

Ohio unreported 1981-, All Ohio Misc.

Yes Yes Some Jurisdictions - Jury Instruc., Jury Verdicts,

More

Contents

UnannoStatutes

Casesw/oHeadnotes

Unanno

Regs

“Shepard’s –Like

Feature”

Fastcase Internet links for 8 states

Fed App 1925-, Ohio 1950 -, Ohio unreported 2000-.Coverage

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

Searching

Boolean Natural Language

Fields Search databases together

Loislaw Yes - near2 No Yes Yes

Casemaker Yes - w/n, w/sent, w/para

No Yes Fed together, State together

Searching

Boolean Natural Language

Fields Search databases together

Fastcase Yes - w/n Yes Date, cite look-up only

Yes

Versus Law

Yes - w/n Yes default connector is ADJ

4 fields, see help

For addtl fee

• Issue= Whether in Ohio, two people can marry if they are the opposite sex because one person had gender reassignment surgery, and that person’s birth certificate was amended to reflect the sex change?

• Search = “birth certificate” (transsexual, transgender, “sex change”) marri*

Casemaker Session

Part of Research Certificate Seminars Wednesday, 3/2, 3pm-4pm Register by emailing Laura Ray

Temporary Login

username: CMLaw password: fastcase

• “birth certificate” AND (transgender OR transsexual OR “sex change”) AND marri*

• Natural language – birth certificate marriage transsexual

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 RIA Checkpoint See Electronic Resources page for links.

NOT low cost, but not charged back to clients

BNA

Current Awareness PLUS Libraries: Primary & Secondary Sources

BNA Current Awareness

Articles, cases 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

BNA Libraries

Cases, statutes, regs Practice books Forms

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

CCH Intelliconnect

• Both Primary and Secondary Sources• Topics Covered:

AntitrustBanking Corporate GovernanceHealth Care and Medicaid/Medicare Labor & Employment, PensionsSecurities

CCH

Boolean searching, w/n etc. Federated Searching Indexes Current awareness emails –

Sign up Instructions 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

Cornell Legal Information Institute (LII) FindLaw ALSO (American Law Sources Online) Other Portals

Use LEGAL Search Engines

Cornell University Legal Research Engine LexisWeb

List of Search Legal Engines

Case law

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

Ohio Supreme Court Legal Research Workstation - Case Law

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

• Why don’t we get the Nash case?

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 Martindale Hubbell Law Digest

Ehandout

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