Westlaw

Westlaw is a prominent online legal research service used by American Bar Association members, Harvard Law School students, and United States Supreme Court justices. It provides access to a vast collection of United States Code statutes, Federal Register regulations, and Supreme Court of the United States cases, including those cited in Brown v. Board of Education and Roe v. Wade. Westlaw is widely used by law firms such as Baker McKenzie, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, and Kirkland & Ellis, as well as by law schools like Yale Law School, Stanford Law School, and New York University School of Law. Its comprehensive database includes cases from the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Introduction

Westlaw is an essential tool for legal research, providing users with a vast array of primary sources and secondary sources, including treatises like Corpus Juris Secundum and American Jurisprudence. It offers advanced search features, allowing users to search for specific cases, such as Marbury v. Madison and Miranda v. Arizona, and statutes like the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Bankruptcy Code. Westlaw also provides access to law reviews like the Harvard Law Review, Yale Law Journal, and Stanford Law Review, as well as bar journals such as the American Bar Association Journal and the National Law Journal. Additionally, it includes resources from the Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, and the United States Government Publishing Office.

History

Westlaw was first introduced in the 1970s by West Publishing, a company founded by John B. West and George W. Waters. It was later acquired by Thomson Reuters in 1996, which expanded its capabilities and integrated it with other Thomson Reuters products, such as LexisNexis and FindLaw. Throughout its history, Westlaw has been used by prominent lawyers like Thurgood Marshall, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Antonin Scalia, as well as by judges like Earl Warren and William Rehnquist. Westlaw has also been used in significant cases like Bush v. Gore and Citizens United v. FEC, and has been cited in numerous United States Supreme Court opinions, including those written by John Roberts and Stephen Breyer.

Features

Westlaw offers a range of features that make it an indispensable tool for legal research, including its KeyCite citation research service, which allows users to verify the validity of cases like Plessy v. Ferguson and Loving v. Virginia. It also provides access to WestlawNext, a platform that enables users to search for cases, statutes, and regulations using a single search query, and to Westlaw Edge, a tool that uses artificial intelligence to help users find relevant cases and statutes. Additionally, Westlaw offers a range of training programs and webinars to help users get the most out of its features, including those taught by American Bar Association-accredited law schools like Georgetown University Law Center and University of California, Berkeley, School of Law.

Content

Westlaw's vast database includes a wide range of primary sources and secondary sources, including cases from the United States Supreme Court, United States Courts of Appeals, and United States District Courts, as well as statutes from the United States Code and regulations from the Federal Register. It also includes treatises like Corpus Juris Secundum and American Jurisprudence, as well as law reviews like the Harvard Law Review and Yale Law Journal. Furthermore, Westlaw provides access to bar journals like the American Bar Association Journal and the National Law Journal, as well as to resources from the Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, and the United States Government Publishing Office. Its database also includes cases from the European Court of Human Rights, International Court of Justice, and World Trade Organization, making it a valuable resource for international law research.

Accessibility

Westlaw is accessible through a variety of platforms, including Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android devices. It can be accessed through a web browser or through a mobile app, making it easy for users to conduct legal research on the go. Westlaw also offers a range of accessibility features, including text-to-speech functionality and keyboard-only navigation, to help users with disabilities. Additionally, Westlaw provides technical support to its users, including online support and phone support, to help them troubleshoot any issues they may encounter. Its accessibility features have been recognized by organizations like the National Federation of the Blind and the American Foundation for the Blind.

Competitors

Westlaw faces competition from other online legal research services, including LexisNexis, Bloomberg Law, and Fastcase. These services offer similar features and content to Westlaw, including access to primary sources and secondary sources, as well as advanced search features and training programs. However, Westlaw remains one of the most widely used and respected online legal research services, thanks to its comprehensive database and advanced features, which have been recognized by American Bar Association and National Conference of Bar Examiners. Its competitors include companies like Wolters Kluwer, Reed Elsevier, and Cengage Learning, which offer a range of legal research and educational resources.