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Cost of Westlaw

Cost of Westlaw. ( Cost of Lexis is comparable). Ask @ sign-on (if you don’t see this screen, the firm has already decided for you). Westlaw Transactional Charges per Search :. State Cases $61 Codes (USCA & OCGA) $73 ALRs & Journals $120

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Cost of Westlaw

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  1. Cost of Westlaw (Cost of Lexis is comparable)

  2. Ask @ sign-on (if you don’t see this screen, the firm has already decided for you)

  3. Westlaw Transactional Charges per Search: State Cases $61 Codes (USCA & OCGA) $73 ALRs & Journals $120 ALLCASES - All Federal & State Cases $194 Briefs $192

  4. Westlaw Per MINUTE Charges under Hourly pricing method:(All the searches you can run in 1 minute) State Cases $8.95 Codes (USCA & OCGA) $10.50 ALRs & Journals $21 - $18 ALLCASES - All Federal & State Cases $20.98 Briefs $24

  5. Cost to the Client • The most expensive databases (including briefs and people records) on Westlaw are charged at $24.00 per MINUTE (under the Hourly pricing method) • The average new associate’s time is billed out at about $175 - $250 per hour • Most firms have a contract and databases within that contract receive special pricing, but coverage may not be as comprehensive as law school

  6. Some things to be aware of: • In Westlaw (not Lexis), as long as you are within your firm’s contract, there are no additional charges to print, email, or download. Just remember that whatever you do this year will set next year’s price for the contract, so a flat rate isn’t really a flat rate. HOWEVER • If you go outside of your firm’s contract, you will have to pay the standard Transactional or Hourly rates for those databases, PLUS charges to print and download documents range from $0.04 to $0.65 per line or $5.00 to $50.00 per document. • So if it’s just for your eyes, simply copy, paste and email to yourself or print locally. If it needs to look pretty for a client, then it’s appropriate to bill them for it.

  7. 15 Minutes spent $24 x 15 min = $360 15 min at $200/hr=$50 Grand Total = $410 30 Minutes spent $24 x 30 min = $720 30 min at $200/hr=$100 Grand Total = $820 Approximate cost for research using the Hourly pricing method:(Examples of Searching for Supreme Court briefs, which are classified as one of the “Select databases”)

  8. Approximate cost for research using the Transactional pricing method:(Example of a Search for Supreme Court briefs, which are classified as one of the “Select databases”) 15 Minutes spent $192 per transaction (unlimited locates w/in initial search per transaction until 2am)= $192 15 min at $200/hr=$50 Grand Total = $242

  9. Search charges: Generally cost MORE Search connect time and communications charges are now incorporated into per minute costs, transactional searches don’t carry these charges Find charges: Generally cost LESS Primary Source: $10 per document Secondary Source: $20 per document Briefs & Trial Docs: $65 per document ** If you’re out of firm contract, use FIND Search vs. Find

  10. Searching the briefs database for 15 minutes to find a single case: $24 x 15 = $360 + $25 per print OR $65 per PDF image Grand Total = $385 / $425 Using Find by entering a citation from a known Supreme Court case: $10 per case + $65 per link to brief + $25 per print OR $65 per PDF page image Grand Total = $100 / $140 Comparison of cost to obtain briefs using Search vs. Find:

  11. Free other than your billed time Supreme Court briefs are available on the Internet Current & previous term merits briefs on ABA website (linked from Supreme Court site) Supreme Court briefs on Findlaw Solicitor General briefs on DOJ website Interest organization websites for amicus briefs: use Google or find links from http://www.legaline.com/freebriefslinks.html Briefs in significant historical cases on the Yale Curiae Project site Obtaining briefs on the Internet

  12. Additional charges for Downloading and Printing Cost is up to $65 per document Briefs databases: $25 per document Majority of databases (including cases): $12.50 per document

  13. Additional charges for PDF images Briefs PDF docs: $65 per image Reporter PDF docs: $20 per image

  14. Free to find & print Many primary materials available: cases, statutes, regulations, treaties, briefs Increasingly legal research websites have better search capability Google will let you search for documents by name Government & Law Library websites can be reliable research sources Find reliable links from the Emory Internet Legal Research Guide Legal research on the Internet

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