Professor Lisa Smith-ButlerCharleston School of LawSol Blatt Jr. Law Library

Fall 2014

Bloomberg Law, Lexis Advance & WestlawNext

1Ls

Introduction

Using both Bloomberg, Lexis Advance, and WestlawNext, today we’ll review:

how to locate cases; how to locate statutes; and how to update with citators.

How do I find a case?

Cases can be located in one of three ways: party name (Harris v. Forklift); citation (477 U.S. 57); or subject/keyword searching.

This is true regardless as to whether print or electronic resources are being used.

Party Name

If you know the names’ of the parties involved in a case, you can: key in the parties names’ in the search bar on

Bloomberg, Lexis & Westlaw after selecting the appropriate jurisdiction/database for searching; or

use the Table of Cases volume of the appropriate digest, in print, to obtain a citation to the decision.

Citation

Key the citation into the search bar on Bloomberg, Lexis Advance, and WestlawNext.

Pull the book off the shelf when using print.

Subject or Keyword Searching

If you lack a party name or a citation, you will need to do a subject search either in an electronic database such as Bloomberg Law, Lexis Advance or WestlawNext or you will need to a consult a print resource such as a case finding tool.

Case finding tools include, but are not limited to, digests, legal encyclopedias, American Law Reports, and other sources.

What search terms do I use? Where do I look?

When you receive a research project, you should answer three questions before beginning either print or electronic research:

What is the issue in dispute between the parties? What search terms should be used? What database or book should be selected?

Locating a Case by Party Name

Bloomberg Law

Lexis Advance

WestlawNext

Locating a Case by Citation

Bloomberg Law

Lexis Advance

WestlawNext

Locating a Case by Subject

Lacking a citation or party name requires you to locate a case by subject.

How do I locate a case by subject?

Define the issue.From this, create your search terms.Decide which database or print resource

needs to be consulted.Create your search query, including terms

and Boolean connectors if appropriate.Only after completing the above, should you

log onto Bloomberg Law, Lexis Advance, or WestlawNext.

Boolean Connectors

Boolean connectors allow you to either expand or limit your search.

Boolean connectors include: And (contracts search) Or (expands search) Not (excludes items so contracts search) Within (requires items to be located near each other

so contracts search)

Boolean Connectors

To use a Boolean connector with WestlawNext, click on Advanced Search next to the search bar.

To do a Boolean search with Lexis Advance, use Boolean operators/connectors as you usually would although use lower case letters and do not use an ampersand (&).

Field searching on Bloomberg Law is possible once a library is selected with a pre-existing template. Boolean connectors can also be used in the template’s keyword search box.

Defining our Query

Bloomberg Law

Lexis Advance

WestlawNext

Editing your search terms & limiting your results

How do I get my case?

You can: download the case directly to your hard drive; email it to your email address; Place it online in a personal folder, storing it on

WestlawNext, Bloomberg Law, or Lexis Advance; or print it to the library’s printer room on the Lexis

printer.

Statutes

While cases are a primary source of American law, statutes are also a primary source.

Cases are decided and published by the judicial branch of the government while statutes are enacted and published by the legislative branch of the government.

How do I locate applicable statutes?

As with cases, statutes can be located in three ways.

They can be located via:

Citation (17 U.S.C. §107); popular name (Patient Protection & Affordable Care

Act); or subject/keyword searching (authorizing war in Iraq in

2002).

Locating statutes by citation

Bloomberg Law

Lexis Advance

WestlawNext

Get a statute by popular name

Bloomberg

Lexis Advance

WestlawNext

Getting a statute by subject/keyword

Bloomberg Law

Lexis Advance

WestlawNext

Updating Your Research

You should always update your research.On the Bloomberg Law system, this means

that you Bcite your cases and statutes.On the Lexis Advance system, this means you

Shepardize your cases and statutes.On the WestlawNext system, this means you

Keycite your cases and statutes.

Citing: BCite, Shepard’s or KeyCite

What information should you be looking for when you Shepardize or Keycite your case? You should be checking to see if your case was later

reversed or overruled. You should be checking to see how later cases have

treated your case. You should be checking to see if the legislature

amended or repealed your statute. You should be checking to see if secondary articles are

available that cite to your case or statute.

Bloomberg Law: BCite

Lexis Advance: Shepard’s

WestlawNext: KeyCite

Help!

Bloomberg Law tutorial videos are available @ http://www.bloomberglaw.com/help/Videos_Overview.htm

Lexis Advance tutorial videos can be found @ https://www.youtube.com/user/LexisNexisLawSchools/videos

WestlawNext tutorial videos are @ https://www.youtube.com/user/WestlawInsider

Conclusion

Remember: the best researchers use a mixture of sources and formats.

Questions? Stop by the Sol Blatt Jr. Law Library Reference Desk, located in Room 120 on the 1st floor of the library.