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