Introduction to Thomson Reuters Westlaw

Summary

Dave Corbett, a Westlaw trainer, introduces the legal research platform, highlighting its intuitive interface and exclusive features. Westlaw offers a sophisticated search algorithm, 'West Search,' designed for legal research, and provides access to expert attorneys for research assistance. The platform includes jurisdiction selectors, content browsing by practice area, and tools for document delivery and sharing. It also features a history section for tracking past searches and a sign-off process for user convenience.

Takeaways

• 😀 Dave Corbett introduces himself as a Westlaw trainer, emphasizing his role in educating legal researchers on Westlaw's features.
• 🔍 Westlaw's Global Search is powered by a sophisticated algorithm called 'West Search', designed specifically for legal research.
• 📚 Users have access to free research assistance from expert attorneys and customer support, available 24/7.
• 🏢 The Westlaw homepage features a live logo that redirects users to the home page from any point within the platform.
• 🗂️ The platform offers a jurisdiction selector, allowing users to choose from state, territorial, and federal materials for targeted research.
• 📖 The 'Browse' box contains five tabs, including 'All Content', 'Federal Materials', 'State Materials', 'Practice Areas', and 'Tools', for organized navigation.
• 📘 The 'Practice Areas' tab organizes information by legal practice area, providing resources like news, analysis, and standard content sets.
• 📑 The 'Tools' tab provides access to key features like the Key Number System, subscriber pricing guide, and a comprehensive list of included content.
• 📋 Citation searching is made easy with Westlaw's 'Find' function, which suggests and verifies citations for accuracy.
• 💼 Westlaw offers document delivery options including emailing, printing, downloading, and integration with litigation management software like Case Notebook.
• 🗂️ Folders in Westlaw allow for document organization and sharing, with the added benefit of automatic updates to content.

Q & A

What is the primary role of Dave Corbett in the Westlaw training?

Dave Corbett is a Westlaw trainer whose job is to educate legal researchers on the features of Westlaw, helping them become more efficient and confident in their research.

What kind of support do Westlaw customers have access to?

Westlaw customers have access to free research assistance from bar-admitted expert attorneys and customer support available 24/7.

What is the significance of the Thompson Reuters Westlaw logo on the homepage?

The Thompson Reuters Westlaw logo on the homepage is a live logo that brings users back to the home page whenever clicked from anywhere within Westlaw.

How does the Global Search feature on Westlaw work?

Global Search on Westlaw is powered by a sophisticated search algorithm called West Search, designed specifically for legal research, allowing users to enter citations, search terms, or case names, and it suggests results before the search is executed.

What is the purpose of the jurisdiction selector on Westlaw?

The jurisdiction selector allows users to choose from state and territorial materials or federal jurisdictions, and it can be used to limit searches to specific jurisdictions or include related federal materials.

How can users navigate to specific content types on Westlaw?

Users can navigate to specific content types on Westlaw by using the 'Browse' box containing tabs such as 'All Content,' 'Federal Materials,' 'State Materials,' 'Practice Areas,' and 'Tools.'

What does the 'Practice Areas' tab provide on Westlaw?

The 'Practice Areas' tab divides information by practice area, providing users with resources, news, analysis, and content sets specific to their area of interest, such as labor and employment law.

How does the 'Find and Print' feature on Westlaw function?

The 'Find and Print' feature allows users to enter up to 100 citations, which Westlaw will then deliver either as full text documents, key cites, or both, depending on the user's chosen delivery method.

What are the document delivery options available on Westlaw?

Document delivery options on Westlaw include emailing, printing, downloading, sending to Dropbox or Kindle, exporting to Case Notebook, and saving to folders.

How does the folder system in Westlaw benefit users?

The folder system in Westlaw allows users to organize documents and automatically receive updates to the content within the folders. It also provides cost benefits as users are only charged to view a document the first time they look at it, with a 365-day grace period before being charged again.

What kind of research assistance is available to Westlaw users?

Westlaw offers 24/7 research support from bar-admitted legal research experts, who are licensed attorneys and skilled researchers, available via phone or live chat within the platform.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Westlaw

Dave Corbett, a Westlaw trainer, introduces the platform's features designed to enhance legal research efficiency and confidence. Westlaw offers intuitive navigation, 24/7 research assistance from expert attorneys, and customer support. The homepage features a Thompson Reuters Westlaw logo for easy navigation, a Global search box powered by West Search for sophisticated legal searches, and a jurisdiction selector for tailored state and federal law materials. The Browse box contains tabs for various content types, including core content, federal and state materials, and practice areas. The Tools tab provides access to the Key Number system, subscriber pricing guide, and content list. Users can search by citation, with suggestions and error notifications to ensure accuracy. Document delivery options include emailing, printing, downloading, and exporting to litigation management software like Case Notebook.

05:02

🔍 Advanced Search and Document Management in Westlaw

The script demonstrates how to search by citation, with Westlaw's West Search providing real-time suggestions and error notifications for citation accuracy. It explains document delivery options, including emailing, printing, downloading, and exporting to cloud services like Dropbox or Kindle, and saving documents to folders for organizational purposes. Folders in Westlaw keep documents live and updated, offering a cost-effective way to manage research materials. The script also covers sharing folders, accessing research history, and utilizing 24/7 research support from licensed attorneys. It concludes with instructions on how to sign off from the platform and encourages users to seek further guidance for in-depth training or research assistance.

Keywords

💡Westlaw

Westlaw is a comprehensive online legal research platform developed by Thomson Reuters. It provides access to a vast array of legal materials, including case law, statutes, regulations, and secondary sources. In the video, Westlaw is the central theme, with the trainer, Dave Corbett, introducing and demonstrating its features to legal researchers. The platform's intuitive interface and advanced search capabilities are highlighted as key to enhancing research efficiency.

💡Global Search

Global Search on Westlaw is powered by a sophisticated search algorithm known as West Search. It is designed specifically for legal research, allowing users to search for documents using citations, search terms, or case names. The script mentions that it is optimized for both plain language and Boolean searching, making it versatile for different user preferences. This feature is crucial for delivering better research results with more confidence.

💡Jurisdiction Selector

The Jurisdiction Selector is a tool within Westlaw that allows users to filter their searches by legal jurisdiction. As explained in the script, it can be set for all states and federal jurisdictions or narrowed down to specific states. This is particularly useful for legal professionals who need to focus their research on laws and cases relevant to a particular state or federal court, ensuring that the research is both relevant and comprehensive.

💡Browse Box

The Browse Box on the Westlaw homepage contains five separate tabs that allow users to navigate to different types of legal content, such as cases, statutes, and practice areas. It is a key feature for users who prefer a more structured approach to their research. The script provides an example of how to use the 'cases' tab to drill down into federal cases by court or circuit, showcasing the depth of content available on the platform.

💡Practice Areas

Practice Areas on Westlaw categorize legal information by specific areas of law, such as employment law, intellectual property, or criminal law. This feature is highlighted in the script as a way to streamline research by providing access to industry-specific analysis, articles, and standard content sets. It helps legal professionals to quickly find relevant resources and stay updated with the latest developments in their field.

💡KeyCite

KeyCite is a citation checking tool within Westlaw that helps users verify the validity and status of cited legal authorities. The script mentions using 'fi:' or 'find:' before a citation to ensure that the document retrieved is accurate and up-to-date. This is essential for legal professionals to ensure that their research relies on current and authoritative sources.

💡Document Delivery

Document Delivery in Westlaw refers to the various options available for accessing legal documents, such as emailing, printing, downloading, or exporting to other platforms like Dropbox or Kindle. The script explains how users can use the 'Delivery' button to manage how they access and store the documents they find, which is important for organizing research and ensuring easy access to documents in various formats.

💡Folders

Folders in Westlaw are a feature that allows users to organize and save documents for later reference. The script emphasizes the utility of folders for organization and the benefit of having live, automatically updated documents within the platform. This feature is particularly useful for managing large volumes of research and ensuring that all saved documents remain current.

💡History

The History feature in Westlaw keeps a record of the user's recent documents and searches, providing an easy way to revisit previous research. As mentioned in the script, users can view their entire history for the last 365 days, which is helpful for continuity in research projects and for recalling past work.

💡Reference Attorneys

Reference Attorneys on Westlaw are licensed attorneys who provide research assistance to users. The script highlights the availability of 24/7 research support from these experts, who are skilled in using Westlaw for professional research. This service is valuable for users who need substantive research help or guidance on using the platform's features effectively.

Highlights

Introduction to Thompson Reuters Westlaw by Dave Corbett, a Westlaw trainer.

Westlaw's intuitive and easy-to-use interface designed to enhance legal research efficiency.

Access to free research assistance from bar-admitted expert attorneys.

24/7 customer support for Westlaw users.

Global search box powered by a sophisticated search algorithm for legal research.

West Search allows for plain language and Boolean searching.

Jurisdiction selector for filtering state and federal legal materials.

Ability to include related federal materials when searching state-specific laws.

Browsing content by material type using the all content tab.

Drilling down into case law by court, circuit, or state.

Federal and state materials tabs for jurisdiction-specific legal resources.

Practice areas tab for accessing information organized by legal practice.

Tools tab for accessing key number system, pricing guide, and subscription content list.

Find and Print feature for retrieving full text documents or key cites.

Search by Citation feature with suggestions and error checking.

Document delivery options including email, print, download, and cloud service integration.

Folder system for organizing and storing documents within Westlaw.

Sharing folders with others and setting permissions for collaboration.

History feature for reviewing past searches and documents.

24/7 research support from Westlaw reference attorneys.

How to sign off from Westlaw and contact information for further assistance.

Transcripts

welcome to an introduction of Thompson

Reuters Westlaw my name is Dave Corbett

and I'm a Westlaw trainer my job is to

educate legal researchers on all the

incredible and exclusive features of

Westlaw so that they can become more

efficient and confident researchers I

think you'll find Westlaw intuitive and

easy to use plus as a Westlaw customer

you have access to free research

assistance from bar admitted expert

attorneys and customer support available

24/7 we're passionate about the practice

of Law and and are excited for you to

experience all wesla has to offer so

let's jump in and get

started I'm going to share my screen

with you this is the Westlaw homepage

you'll notice at the top leftand corner

of the page is a Thompson reuter's

Westlaw logo this logo is featured on

every page within Westlaw and it's a

live logo which means that when you

click on it from anywhere within Westlaw

it will bring you back to this home

page to the right of that we've got our

Global search box Global search on West

law is powered by a sophisticated search

algorithm West search West search is the

only search engine designed specifically

for the law allowing legal researchers

to deliver better results with more

confidence within West search you can

enter citations for documents Search

terms or you can start to type the case

names or the names of Publications that

you're looking for and it will make

suggestions before you

search the global search box is

optimized for plain language searching

as well as Boolean searching if you

prefer more complex terms and connector

searches the beauty of global search on

Westlaw is that you can search the way

that works best for

you to the right of the global search

box you'll see our jurisdiction

selector currently mine is set for all

state and federal but if I click on it

it allows you to choose from the state

and territorial materials here in the

center of the screen and on the right

are all the federal

jurisdictions if you want to choose a

state jurisdiction and then you only

want to see the federal materials that

correspond with that state so using New

York as an example I click include

related Federal underneath you'll note

that the all federal box became

unchecked automatically so now you're

not only searching New York State

materials but also the federal materials

related to New

York if you're talking about cases this

will include us district court cases in

New York second circuit decisions and

decisions from the US Supreme Court so

basically it will include any federal

court that would be presidential in New

York hitting save you'll see that it now

says New York state and federal under

the jurisdiction

selector to the right of that is an

orange search

button in the center of the page you see

the browse box containing five separate

tabs the first tab is the all content

tab from this tab you can navigate to

any content or material type available

on

westla everything in the first two

columns is part of our core content

these materials are Auto automatically

searched when you run a search in the

global search box everything in the far

right column from dockets down to

directories is housed separately so if

you want to do a docket search you can

simply click into dockets here and then

run the

search when you click into a type of

content let's choose cases as an example

it gives you the opportunity to drill

down further into Federal cases by court

or circuit or cases by state other

jurisdictions or topic you can follow

that all the way to its logical

conclusion at a particular court or you

can search across all cases at the top

of the screen and notice that the search

bar now says search

cases let's jump back to the homepage by

clicking on the Westlaw logo the next

two Tabs are federal materials and state

materials each of these leads you to the

materials that are specific to those

States or federal jurisdictions the

practice areas tab divides information

by practice area if you select

employment as an example you'll see your

taken to the practitioner insights page

employment related news displays at the

top with industry specific analysis

articles Below on the right under

resources you'll find the standard

content sets that are specific to labor

and employment for example if you choose

statutes and court rules you'll get the

federal labor and employment content at

the

top then state-by-state titles chapters

and sections that are important to labor

and employment practitioners

underneath going back to the Westlaw

homepage let's select the fifth tab

under the browse box the tools tab under

the tools tab you can access the key

number system the subscriber pricing

guide and a comprehensive list of the

content included in your wesla

subscription if you scroll about halfway

down the list there's also the link for

find and print from here you can enter

up to 100 citations separating them with

semicolons or separate lines and wesla

will deliver either the full text of the

document key site them or both after

you've chosen the delivery technique in

format simply click submit and and

finded print will do the

rest jumping back to the home screen

let's look at how to search by Citation

for this example let's enter 100 Supreme

Court 1 in the global search bar even

before hitting enter or search notice

that West search is making suggestions

for you including the Pacific telephone

case which has that citation if you

click on that case hit enter on your

keyboard or hit search you are brought

directly into that

case to ensure you received the correct

document when pulling up a citation you

can proceed the citation with the

letters f i colon or if it's easier to

remember you can use the whole word find

followed by a colon and then enter the

citation if you precede the citation

with the letters fi or the word fine you

will be notified if your citation is

incorrect if you put an incorrect

citation in now and hit enter instead of

running an automatic search it stops you

tells you the citation is incorrect and

asks you to check it and try it again

you then have the opportunity to fix

your citation hit enter again and it

will send you straight into the correct

document in terms of document delivery

you have a few options this is the

delivery button click on the little blue

triangle next to it and you will see

that the same button controls emailing

printing downloading sending to Dropbox

or Kindle or exporting to case notebook

which is our litigation management

software if your firm or organization

does not subscribe to case notebook you

won't see this option you can also save

this document to a folder just click on

the icon that looks like a manila folder

with a green up arrow on it you will be

asked where you want to save the

document you can create a new folder or

subfolders hit save and your document

will be saved to the folder you selected

folders are incredibly useful from an

organizational perspective and there's

no limit to how many folders or

subfolders you can create or how many

documents you can place into each

folder all documents you you place in

folders continue to be live and updated

automatically unlike delivering them

offline by emailing printing or

downloading where your delivering a

static snapshot of how the document

existed at the moment you delivered it

if you search a document outside your

firm subscription view it and save it to

a folder you will only pay to view that

document the first time you looked at it

and you have 365 days from the first

time you viewed it until you would be

charged to view that document again this

is a real cost benefit to using

folders within wesla you can also easily

share your folders access folders at the

top here and choose a folder like

David's research which is the top level

folder if you want to share this folder

go up to options choose share and it

walks you through a couple of steps

where you can choose whom to share it

with and whether you want them to just

be able to review within the folder or

actually contribute

themselves history is available at the

top just next to folders putting your

cursor over it gives you the most recent

documents and searches if you want to

view your entire history click on the

word history itself or click the view

all links and you will see everything

you've done for the last 365 days you

can use filters including a client ID

filter to narrow your

results if you're in need of research

assistance at any time during your

westla session we're pleased to offer

24/7 research support from bar admitted

Le research experts included in your

subscription Westlaw reference attorneys

are all licensed attorneys located right

here in the US because they use Westlaw

professionally 40 plus hours a week they

are incredibly skilled researchers and

can help you at any stage in your

research the phone number to contact the

reference attorneys can be found at the

bottom of every page on wesla above the

reference attorney phone number we also

offer the convenient option to live chat

with a reference attorney right within

wesla whether you're just wondering

where something is located

or if you have substantive research

questions 10 or 15 minutes on the phone

with a reference attorney will save you

a lot of time when it's time to sign off

your sign off is over in the top right

hand corner putting your cursor over

this profile settings icon gives you the

signoff button sign off and you're

out please don't hesitate to contact us

at any time for further guidance on

using Westlaw in-depth sessions on

particular practice areas or

functionality or substantive research

assistance

thank you for your

[Music]

attention