Maximizing Cost-Effective Legal Research: Tips & Strategies

1. Cost Effective Lexis & Westlawand Alternatives to Lexis & WestlawSue Altmeyerc 2011

2. Topics Covered • The Cost of Lexis & Westlaw • Frugal Lexis and Westlaw Use • WestlawNext Cost Effective Use • Low cost databases • Free Internet Sources • Library Sources (briefly)

3. 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

4. How to tell when out of plan • Lexis- items outside of plan not accessible. Another account to access off plan. Or, may have dollar signs. • Westlaw- Message saying outside of plan. Or, Directory – click My Databases. Or set preferences to indicate off plan with *

5. Figures are from a Local Law Firm, 2008

6. 2010 Westlaw Law Firm Costs

7. Computing Westlaw Costs • Florida Briefs Multibase Click for rate • Select rate = $26.42/min (see Westlaw 2010 Subscriber Agreement ) • Click Subscriber for per search cost • Add communication charges - .22/min • Add print/download costs – .05 per line or $27.50 per document

10. ? • Do you remember any of the tips for cost effective research on Lexis and Westlaw from your before-class assignments?

11. 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

12. Cost Effective Searching • Narrowest Source • I to check database contents • Broad Search, then Focus/Locate • Table of Contents • Book Browse on LEXIS (not Westlaw) • History (L) or Research Trail (W) – 24 hrs • Westlaw – search transactional or hourly?

13. Searching, Cont’d • Alerts • Search by Topic/Headnote (L); KeyNumber/ Keysearch (W) • Get a Document BY CITATION (L), Find (W) • Links Embedded in Documents • Shepard’s/Keycite instead of search • 50 state surveys

14. Cost Effective Printing • Westlaw decide per line or per document • Print from browser • Copy with Reference • Get and Print, Find and Print

15. Keycite/Shepards • Brief Check to Shepardize; Westcheck to Keycite

16. WestlawNext • Flat rate plan • When view a document, charged a Find if that document is off-plan (will get warning) • Save document in folder - access forever, costs after 1 yr. Document updates for one year for free. • History saved one year, but charges next day after 2 a.m.

17. WestlawNext - Cost Recovery • =charging back to client • $60 per search plus a find charge for items clicked on • 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)

21. Cost Effective WestlawNext • Some SEARCHING hints are different than Classic Westlaw • PRINTING hints the same • Keycite hints same, with some additional..

22. Some additional Keycite hints • Case itself lists the most negative case • Whether billed for keycite in addition to find depends on your plan • Limit Citing References, use headnotes, depth of treatment • keycite or kc: If need keycite, not text of case

24. Select a type of document to get filters, eg. cases

26. 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)

27. Cost Effective WestlawNext Searching - Transactional • Pull up (Click on) the least amount of documents needed • Show the most detail • Documents ranked by relevance • Use Folders & share (Free 1 yr and History (until 2 am following day)

28. Show Less or More Detail

29. More WestlawNext Searching hints • Use Table of Contents instead of Book Browse • Alerts • Use Find • Use Keycite for research instead of a search

30. Lexis Advance • For Solos - $175/month, $315 for two lawyer firm • A bargain – typically $3000 or more/

31. Reference Attorney Phone Nos. • 800 45 LEXIS • 1-800-REF-ATTY (733-2889) (Westlaw) • 1-800-850-9378 for law students (Westlaw)

32. Low Cost Databases

33. Stripped down versions of Lexis/WL • Casemaker –Free w/ free student OSBA membership • Fastcase – Free w/ Cleve bar membership • Lois Law – C-M no longer has, CLL has • Versus Law – Free to Law students

34. 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

35. Stripped Down Versions of Lexis and Westlaw • Casemaker – best coverage for Ohio, except Ohio Misc. (1999-) Odd search syntax • Fastcase – Natural Language, Visual Charts • Loislaw - Best terms and connectors, field searching. Treatises. Alert searches. • VersusLaw – Cheapest, worst coverage

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