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Introduction LEXIS and WESTLAW: computer-assisted legal research (CALR) systems. Online access full texts legal materials, current newspapers and periodicals, law-related textbooks and journals, and other materials.

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CUSTOMIZING WESTLAW Go to Add a Tab

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CUSTOMIZING WESTLAW Go to TABS CLICK on Add Westlaw Tabs

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CUSTOMIZING WESTLAW Scroll down

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CUSTOMIZING WESTLAW Go to TABS CLICK on Add Westlaw Tabs Add New York Tab

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CUSTOMIZING WESTLAW

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QUICKIES FIND BY CITATION KEYCITE THIS CITATION

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QUICKIE 1 FIND BY CITATION Gets a document (case, statute, secondary source) TYPE: 367 US 643

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RESULT

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QUICKIE 2 KEYCITE BY CITATION Is a case or statute good law? Retrieve more recent cases TYPE: 367 US 643

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RESULT

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TWO THINGS Procedural History of the case (default) Cases that cite this case

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YOUR TURN FIND: 384 US 436 WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE CASE? FIND: 34 AD3d 1249 WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE CASE?

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FIND STATUTES FIND STATUTES: Penal Law 120.00 In the Find by Citation box, type the statute citation FORMULA: ny penal law 120.00"

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FIND STATUTES

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YOUR TURN FIND: New Yorks Domestic Relations Law 170 FIND: New Yorks CPLR 3211

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Domestic Relations Law 170 FIND: New Yorks Domestic Relations Law 170 TYPE: NY Domestic Relations 170

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RESULT

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YOUR TURN FIND: New Yorks CPLR 3211

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IS THIS CASE GOOD LAW? KeyCite: People v Belton, 68 AD2d 198 In the KeyCite this Citation box, type the cite 68AD2d198

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This is your case

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IS A RED FLAG EVER GOOD?

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KeyCite Status Flags RED FLAG the case is no longer good law for at least one of the points of law it contains. YELLOW FLAG the case has some negative history but has not been reversed or overruled. BLUE H indicates that the case has some history. GREEN C case has citing references but no direct history or negative citing references.

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THE STAR TREATMENT: Depth of Treatment Stars EXAMINED The citing document contains an extended discussion of the cited case or administrative decision, usually more than a printed page of text. DISCUSSED The citing document contains a substantial discussion of the cited case or administrative decision, usually more than a paragraph but less than a printed page.

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CITED The citing document contains some discussion of the cited case or administrative decision, usually less than a paragraph. MENTIONED The citing document contains a brief reference to the cited case or administrative decision, usually in a string citation.

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YOUR TURN People v Payton, 55 AD2d 859 People v Martinez, 80 NY2d 444

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OUR EXAMPLE ISSUE: May a prayer or benediction be given at a school graduation?

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Creating a Terms and Connectors Search Terms and Connectors searching is the most powerful and precise way to search Westlaw. Using these techniques allows you to take full control of the powerful search engines built in to these systems. The Westlaw Search Form takes you step-by- step through the process of creating a search on Westlaw.

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STEP-BY STEP 1.Define your issue carefully. a)State it precisely in one sentence. b)Avoid being narrower or broader than is necessary. c)EXAMPLE: you are seeking cases on prayer at public school graduations i.TOO BROAD: when is religion permitted in public schools ii.TOO NARROW: may a student say the Lords Prayer at a public school graduation

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STEP-BY STEP 2.Circle the key terms in your issue statement. a)Key terms are words most closely related to your issue. b)Exclude words so common that they are likely to turn up in many documents unrelated to your issue. c)ISSUE: May a prayer or benediction be given at a school graduation?

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FIND TERMS: May a prayer or benediction be given at a school graduation? ELIMINATE COMMON: May a prayer or benediction be given at a school graduation? WHAT YOU ARE LEFT WITH: prayer or benediction, school, graduation

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STEP-BY STEP 3.Write these key terms in the Terms boxes at the top of the Westlaw Search Form. a.If two or more key terms both relate to only one aspect of issue, list them vertically, as alternatives. b.EXAMPLE TERMS: i.prayer or benediction ii.school iii.graduation

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STEP-BY STEP 4.Consider whether alternative terms might appear in a relevant document. For example, if your issue involves an attorney, likely alternatives would be lawyer or counsel Consider synonyms (car/automobile) and antonyms (admissible/inadmissible). Consider also broader or narrower or related terms (car/vehicle/truck/motorcycle...).

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STEP-BY STEP 5.List the alternatives to your key terms in the columns below each key term. OUR EXAMPLE: i.prayer or benediction or invocation ii.school iii.Graduation or commencement

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STEP-BY STEP 6.Use truncation (!) or the universal character (*) to account for variations of key terms. EXAMPLES: discrim! retrieves discriminate, discriminating, discriminated.... kn*w retrieves know or knew. test*** retrieves test, tested, testing, testify... but not testimony or testamentary

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STEP-BY STEP 6.Use truncation (!) or the universal character (*) to account for variations of key terms. OUR EXAMPLE: i.prayer (or pray or praying) or benediction or invocation ii.school iii.Graduation (or graduating or graduate) or commencement

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STEP-BY STEP 6.Use truncation (!) or the universal character (*) to account for variations of key terms. OUR EXAMPLE: i.Pray! or benediction or invocation ii.school iii.Graduat! or commencement

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STEP-BY STEP 7.Use connectors to specify the relationship between key terms.

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AND AND USE: & EXAMPLE: narcotic & warrant

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OR OR USE: A space EXAMPLE: car automobile vehicle

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MORE AND CONNECTORS TERMS IN THE SAME PARAGRAPH USE: /p EXAMPLE: hearsay /p utterance

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MORE AND CONNECTORS TERMS WITHIN THE SAME SENTENCE USE: /s EXAMPLE: warrant /s arrest Arrest warrant Warrant of arrest Court issued a warrant for his arrest.

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NUMERICAL CONNECTORS /n Search terms within n terms of each other (where n is a number from 1-255): Queens /2 county Queens County County of Queens

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CONNECTORS IN BRIEF RULE: All connectors are either OR or AND OR: OR AND: &, /p, /s, /n The difference with the different ands is how much control you want to use

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CONTROL OF AND & /p /s /n NO CONTROL MORE CONTROL

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MORE EXACT PHRASE USE: [Insert phrase] EXAMPLE: Rule of Perpetuity

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STEP-BY STEP 8.HOW TO EFFECTIVELY USE CONNECTORS Use the [or] connector between alternative. Use the & connector or its variant forms: /p or /s or /#, (where # is a number, e.g., /2) between your groups of key terms. When in doubt, start with a grammatical connector (/p or /s). Westlaw processes connectors in this order: Or, /n, /s, /p, &

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USING THE FORM

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INSERT THE TERMS HERE

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USING THE FORM INSERT THE ALTERNATIVES HERE

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USING THE FORM CHECK THE CONNECTORS

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BACK TO EXAMPLE ISSUE: May a prayer or benediction be given at a school graduation? TERMS: i.Pray! or benediction or invocation ii.school iii.Graduat! or commencement

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BACK TO EXAMPLE Terms Pray! /p school /p Graduat! Alternatives or benedictioncommencement or invocation SEARCH QUERY Pray! Benediction invocation /p school /p graduat! commencement

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DATABASES WHAT YOU WANTDATABASE New York Cases New York StatutesNew York Statutes Annotated US Supreme Court Decisions Search for Database SCT Corpus Juris SecundumSearch for Database CJS