Legal research software 20

Forgot your password? Reset it here. Lawyers research online. There are no two ways about it anymore. Whether you're combing opinions for supporting caselaw, or digging through old property records, nowadays, you're doing that online. As such, you need ready and reliable access to online legal research software and services.

But knowing which legal research tool to purchase can be confusing, at best. And it gets expensive very quickly. Although most often used to research case law and study treatises, online legal research tools can also provide background checks, people searches, data aggregation, and even memo and brief analysis.

Many online legal research services will take public and proprietary information purchased from institutions like Equifax and TransUnion , store it in their databases, and allow users to search the aggregated information.

Each law firm will have differing legal research software needs. Some will only need case law research, while others will rely heavily on treatises and secondary sources.

Still, others will mostly be searching for personal information, or running background checks. Many solos and small firms will simply need case law research with the occasional secondary source access. Many bar associations across the country have deals with online legal research services to provide discounted, and even free access to their databases.

Usually, this will include access to primary material, with few secondary sources. For attorneys who only need occasional access to legal resources, this may work wonderfully. However, these platforms are becoming increasingly competitive with big players in the space. Choosing an online legal research service provider for your law firm is difficult.

All of this may leave you bouncing from one legal research tool to another. It can be challenging to know what software, and which specific features, you need to keep your business running smoothly. Some tools offer limited research sets, while others allow you to explore secondary sources, check your citations, and more, and either for free or at an additional cost. Read through our Features List and determine what functionality and tools your firm needs for its online legal research software.

Then, devour as much information as you care to about the legal research software offerings that most interest you. Visit the product page for each, including pricing options. At a minimum, pricing should be forthright and easy to understand. After all, no one likes hidden fees. Jump into the comments and ratings below or into our Facebook group to learn how Lawyerist and its community feel about each. If you have a sales representative, ask them for references. Finally, sign up for a trial account with one or two likely options, put them through their paces, and select the one that you think will work best for your firm.

Some research tools give you far more firepower than you will ever need. Some will offer too little. Try to find one that is just right for your practice. In our view, you should be able to try before you buy. Ask for a free trial of whichever online legal research tool most interests you before you buy it.

Be sure it is right for you and your practice before you drop money—or sign a multi-year contract—with your chosen provider. And be wary of companies that try to charge you before you can test the product. AI legal assistants can help you identify relevant cases and statutes, and may even help you draft your brief. Can you search by entering a question in normal language rather than keywords or Boolean connectors and phrases? A citation checker helps you identify whether a case or statute has been overruled, modified, or reversed or repealed.

Can you restrict your search to certain parts or features of cases and statutes, like the date, judge, or jurisdiction? Research history makes it easier to find the results of previous searches or see if the law has changed with new results.

When you run a search, get suggestions for additional searches to run or material you should look at. Flag key cases so that you get an email notification if it is cited in a new case, statute, or secondary source.

Log in to Lawyerist. Register here. It's free! Join Lawyerist Insider Back to login. First Last. Enter Password Confirm Password. United States Canada Other. Pick one. The best way to do that? Maintain your subject matter competency by keeping up-to-date on the latest developments in your practice area by regularly reading legal journals and legal blogs.

LexBlog—an online network of over 22, legal bloggers—is a hub of the latest commentary on the law. Sorting blogs by channels , LexBlog makes it easy to find and subscribe to legal blogs that focus on your specific area of law. The direct research benefit of staying in the loop? Want the simplest way to search case law? We published this blog post in August Last updated: August 5, Categorized in: Business. Legal research can be tedious and time-consuming, but it is also often the key to success as a lawyer.

Here are 10 tips to improve…. Try one of the 21 best mobile and iPad apps for lawyers, and set your firm up to thrive in our digital, experience-driven age. What do the next 10 years hold for legal technology? Read predictions from members of the Clio community. Clio Posts Business Posts. Written by Teresa Matich , Joshua Lenon. Contents 7 Free legal search engines and databases 1. Fastcase: For an online law library 2. CourtListener: For legal opinions 3.

Caselaw Access Project: For book-published case law 4. FindLaw: For searchable Supreme Court decisions 5. Justia: For the latest summaries sent straight to you Beyond legal databases: Other free research resources 1. Primary sources: For going straight to the source 2. Legal blogs: For keeping up-to-date 3.

Google Scholar: For searching legal journals and published opinions Conclusion. The only catch? You have to know where to look. Fastcase: For an online law library As one of the largest online law libraries in the world, Fastcase provides online access to case law, statutes, regulations, constitutions, court rules, and law review articles—making legal research and analysis faster and easier. CourtListener: For legal opinions Sponsored by the Non-Profit Free Law Project, CourtListener is a legal research website featuring millions of legal opinions from federal and state courts.

Caselaw Access Project: For book-published case law As part of a mission to make all published US court decisions freely available to publish online, the Caselaw Access Project CAP offers free access to all official, book-published US case law—every volume designated as an official report of decisions by a court within the United States through June Fun fact: The earliest case available is from Beyond legal databases: Other free research resources As valuable as legal databases are for your case research, there are also other alternative sources where you can find information and resources to support your legal research.

Primary sources: For going straight to the source Sometimes, the easiest way to get the information you need is to be direct. If you are a member of a bar association, you should also make full use of the resources available to you through your member benefits, such as: Courthouses Law schools Bar Association headquarters 2.

Legal blogs: For keeping up-to-date One of the best ways to become a more efficient legal researcher is to stay ahead of the game. See how Clio can boost productivity and billables at your firm Learn how firms level up their business with Clio.

See Clio in Action.